Primary Care News and Research

Latest Primary Care News and Research

Ohio doctor starts new clinic with lower charges but doesn't accept insurance

Dr. James Brockman has taken on a new business model with his medical practice to maintain less overhead and avoid hassles with insurance companies and people who won't pay their bills. No insurance is accepted at his Affordable Health Care Center, which opened in April and offers visits starting at $45 and capped at $100 for more complicated cases.

10 Sep 2010

Wealthy patients beat cancer better than poorer counterparts: Survey

Cancer survival rates have improved across England, according to two new reports from the Office for National Statistics (ONS).But the reports also reveal that there are still gaps in survival, with patients from wealthy areas having a better chance of beating cancer than their poorer counterparts.

10 Sep 2010

Researchers find minocycline antibiotics effective for fragile X syndrome

One of the antibiotics most commonly prescribed to treat adolescent acne can increase attention spans and communication and decrease anxiety in patients with fragile X syndrome, the most common inherited cause of mental impairment, according to a new survey study that is the first published on parents' reports of their children's responses to treatment with the medication.

9 Sep 2010

Santarus, VeroScience enter agreement to commercialize CYCLOSET drug for type 2 diabetes

Santarus, Inc., S2 Therapeutics, Inc. and VeroScience LLC today announced that they have entered into a distribution and license agreement granting Santarus exclusive rights to manufacture and commercialize CYCLOSET (bromocriptine mesylate) tablets in the U.S.

9 Sep 2010

Hospitals find new ways to serve growing senior, immigrant, suburban populations

News outlets report on hospital industries in Houston, Texas; Irvine, Calif. and Madison County, La.

9 Sep 2010

Study: Only 42% of acute care visits are made to personal physicians

Only 42 percent of yearly acute care visits in the U.S. are made to patients' personal physicians, according to a new study published in the journal Health Affairs.

9 Sep 2010

Patient panels associated with lower physician quality rankings: Study

Patients panels (used to rate the quality of care of physicians) with greater proportions of underinsured, minority and non-English speaking patients were associated with lower physician quality rankings, according to a study in the September 8 issue of JAMA.

8 Sep 2010

Study suggests better quality primary care improves health

Financial incentives in primary care cut heart disease deaths and hospital admissions, particularly among people from deprived areas, finds research published online in the Journal of Epidemiology and Community Health.

8 Sep 2010

HealthInsight and GE Healthcare enter collaboration

Soon after the Office of the National Coordinator for Health IT (ONC) named HealthInsight the Regional Extension Center (REC) of record for Nevada and Utah, GE Healthcare began a collaborative effort the parties plan to continue well into the future.

8 Sep 2010

Study finds increase in emergency department usage among US patients

Only 45 percent of the 354 million annual visits for acute care in the United States are made to patients' personal physicians, as Americans increasingly make busy emergency departments, specialists or outpatient care departments their first point of contact for treatment of new health problems or a flare up of a chronic condition like asthma or diabetes.

8 Sep 2010

GW Cancer Institute receives grant to establish City-wide Patient Navigation Network in Washington

The GW Cancer Institute (GWCI) was recently awarded a $2.4 million grant from the D.C. Cancer Consortium to establish and coordinate a City-wide Patient Navigation Network (CPNN) in Washington, D.C.

8 Sep 2010

Interventions targeting social cognition most effective in mitigating loneliness

Changing how a person perceives and thinks about others was the most effective intervention for loneliness, a sweeping analysis of previous research has determined. The findings may help physicians and psychologists develop better treatments for loneliness, a known risk factor for heart disease and other health problems.

8 Sep 2010

Researchers identify eight clinical features for cancer

Scientists at Keele University have identified eight symptoms that, when they are presented to a GP, have a more than five per cent chance of turning out to be cancer.

8 Sep 2010

Studies examine health care use, quality

The New York Times: A new study finds "that more than half of the 354 million doctor visits made each year for acute medical care, like for fevers, stomachaches and coughs, are not with a patient's primary physician, and that more than a quarter take place in hospital emergency rooms. The authors of the study, which was published Tuesday in the journal Health Affairs, said it highlighted a significant question about the new federal health care law: can access to primary care be maintained.

8 Sep 2010

Study reveals high rate of parental depression in first year after child's birth

More than one-third of mothers and about one-fifth of fathers in the United Kingdom appear to experience an episode of depression between their child's birth and 12th year of age, with the highest rates in the first year after birth, according to a report posted online today that will appear in the November print issue of Archives of Pediatrics & Adolescent Medicine, one of the JAMA/Archives journals.

7 Sep 2010

New blood signature test to diagnose, treat respiratory infections

Coughing and wheezing patients could someday benefit from quicker, more accurate diagnosis and treatment for respiratory infections such as flu, through a simple blood test, according to scientists.

7 Sep 2010

Studies show diagnostic errors cause adverse events than medication errors

Studies show that diagnostic errors cause twice as many adverse events as medication errors, but the subject has received little attention; Pennsylvania Patient Safety Authority reviews 100 events related to diagnostic error.

3 Sep 2010

Greater Cincinnati receives award to improve health care system

U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius announced today that the Greater Cincinnati community was awarded a $13.8 million Beacon Community cooperative agreement.

3 Sep 2010

Vision and eye health are key to students' classroom ability

Healthy eyes and vision are necessary for school success and an enjoyable life. Parents naturally want to help their children learn and succeed in school and enjoy life. Vision and eye health are key to students' ability to do well in the classroom, on the playground, in sports and when studying at home.

2 Sep 2010

HHS Secretary announces grants for patient-centered outcome research

HHS Secretary Kathleen Sebelius today announced three sets of grants and cooperative agreements totaling nearly $17 million for patient-centered outcomes research (PCOR), or research that compares treatments and strategies to improve health outcomes for patients.

2 Sep 2010