Primary Care News and Research

Latest Primary Care News and Research

Joined-up approach to evaluate childhood obesity programmes

A united front is needed to tackle childhood obesity effectively, according to researchers at the University of Hertfordshire's Weight and Obesity Research Group.

28 Oct 2010

PCP credits dedicated primary care community for formation of Harvard's new Center

Harvard Medical School's (HMS) establishment of its $30 million Center for Primary Care is a powerful statement of the importance of primary care and the role major medical institutions must play in its transformation, according to Boston-based nonprofit Primary Care Progress (PCP). PCP credits a dedicated and engaged primary care community, partnering with a visionary dean, for the formation of Harvard's new Center.

28 Oct 2010

Ipsen reports 8.3% increase in Group sales for first nine months of 2010

Ipsen reported today its sales for the third quarter and the first nine months of 2010.

28 Oct 2010

A look at the secretive AMA panel behind Medicare's payment rates

A group of 29 physicians, convened by the American Medical Associations and "mostly selected" by specialty trade groups, have the task of recommending how to divide Medicare money into payments for each service, procedure and treatment the program covers, The Wall Street Journal reports.

28 Oct 2010

£600 million cancer drug fund for UK cancer patients

Good news for cancer patients in England, the government has announced that it would fulfill a pledge to set up a drugs fund. Earlier the Department of Health promised the extra funding after a report revealed the low level of spending in the UK on cancer medication compared to the rest of Europe.

27 Oct 2010

Diabetes threatens the eyesight of many unsuspecting Americans

Diabetes causes more new cases of legal blindness among working-age Americans than any other disease. If diabetics are monitored regularly by their ophthalmologist, this vision loss is almost always avoidable. Yet, tragically, more than half of all people living with diabetes do not get the recommended annual dilated eye exam. As the number of people with Type 2 diabetes rises in the U.S., the CDC projects that the number of adults with diabetic retinopathy will double by the year 2050. Yet 90 percent of diabetic eye disease can be prevented simply by proper regular examinations and treatment and by controlling blood sugar.

27 Oct 2010

First Edition: October 27, 2010

Today's headlines note that the new health law has Democrats playing defense, while Republicans offer few new alternatives to the sweeping measure.

27 Oct 2010

New campaign raises funds for UCSF Benioff Children's Hospital

UCSF has launched an innovative fundraising campaign that leverages social media to raise awareness of and dollars for UCSF Benioff Children's Hospital. The UCSF Challenge for the Children, a collaboration with the online fundraising platform Causes.com, kicks off today (Oct. 26, 2010) as part of the groundbreaking festivities for the new UCSF Medical Center at Mission Bay, site of the future children's hospital as well as women's and cancer hospitals.

27 Oct 2010

New intervention strategies help manage depression

In the 15 minutes a primary care doctor typically has with a patient, she's expected to diagnose the current ailment, help manage ongoing health issues and provide preventive care. In this setting, confronting all but the most obvious and immediate mental health needs of patients is an ongoing challenge.

27 Oct 2010

Opiate substitution treatment reduces mortality risk by 85%

Giving people opiate substitution treatment to help with their drug addiction can lead to a 85% plus chance of reducing mortality, according to a new study published on bmj.com today.

27 Oct 2010

Adherence to lifestyle recommendations reduces risk of colorectal cancer by 23%

Almost a quarter of colorectal (bowel) cancer cases could be prevented if people followed healthy lifestyle advice in five areas including diet and exercise, says a new study published on bmj.com today.

27 Oct 2010

335M available under HHS Expanded Services initiative for community health centers

HHS Secretary Kathleen Sebelius today announced the availability of up to $335 million for existing community health centers across the country under the Expanded Services (ES) initiative. These funds are made possible by the Affordable Care Act and will increase access to preventive and primary health care, including dental health, behavioral health, pharmacy, vision, and/or enabling services, at existing health center sites.

27 Oct 2010

New technologies streamline health IT system; Electronic medical records raise privacy issues

The Associated Press: Although many healthcare providers are making the jump to computerized medical records, an "e-chart stored in one doctor's computer too often can't be read by another's across town." Surescripts, "the country's largest network for paperless prescribing," is expanding "so that doctors around the country can choose to share medical reports, X-rays and other health data over its network much as they send e-prescriptions to drugstores today, regardless of what competing brand of computerized health records they use."

27 Oct 2010

Doctors agree on need to change Medicare pay, but not how

Doctors widely believe that the Medicare payment system is unfair, but they disagree about how to fix it, according to a recent study, MedPage Today reports. "While physicians generally support changing how Medicare reimburses doctors, most don't support payment reforms that would reduce their own incomes, according to survey results published in the Oct. 25 issue of Archives of Internal Medicine.

27 Oct 2010

Racial disparities among children with frequent ear infections can influence access to health care resources

Ear infections are one of the most common health problems for children, with most kids experiencing at least one by their third birthday. Annual costs in the United States alone are in the billions of dollars.

26 Oct 2010

Challenges in overcoming communication barriers when treating non-Swedish-speaking patients

The healthcare system faces a challenge in overcoming communication barriers when treating non-Swedish-speaking patients, reveals a thesis from the University of Gothenburg, Sweden.

26 Oct 2010

Knowledge gaps and unjustified fear common among caregivers of children with MRSA

Knowledge gaps and fear - some of it unjustified - are common among the caregivers of children with a drug-resistant staph bacterium known as MRSA, according to the results of a small study from the Johns Hopkins Children Center. These caregivers thirst for timely, detailed and simple information, the researchers add.

26 Oct 2010

COPD Alliance calls upon primary care clinicians to STEP forward in fight against COPD

Five international health-care societies, representing 200,000 primary care and specialty clinicians, have announced their formal partnership in the fight against chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD).

26 Oct 2010

Doctors, nurses and urgent care centers address increasing demand

The (Lynchburg, Va.) News and Advance reports on doctor shortages in Virginia: "Attracting more physicians to the area, and keeping them, is a challenge that has become more urgent. So much so that Centra is in the midst of creating a formal Physician Recruiting Office, where staff will work to convince physicians to consider coming to Lynchburg for their residency or to practice.

26 Oct 2010

VitalHealth and Mayo Medical Laboratories collaborate to offer EHR

VitalHealth (MGMA Booth #1560) and Mayo Medical Laboratories have entered into a collaboration to offer VitalHealth's Electronic Health Record (EHR) product, including a solution for physician office connectivity, as part of Mayo Medical Laboratories' outreach offering.

25 Oct 2010