Primary Care News and Research

Latest Primary Care News and Research

Study on disparities in survival of cancer patients from different socioeconomic groups

A new analysis from Canada has found that cancer patients from poorer communities have a greater chance of dying prematurely than individuals from more affluent backgrounds even though cancer stage at time of diagnosis is similar across socioeconomic groups. Published early online in CANCER, a peer-reviewed journal of the American Cancer Society, the study indicates that efforts are needed to understand and reduce disparities in the survival of cancer patients from different socioeconomic groups.

2 Aug 2010

HuMed program at Mount Sinai provides various educational experiences before medical school

Researchers from Mount Sinai School of Medicine have found that students enrolled in the Humanities and Medicine (HuMed) program are as successful in medical school as students who fulfill the traditional pre-med requirements. HuMed students are accepted in their sophomore year of college and complete their studies in the humanities or social sciences before matriculating at Mount Sinai School of Medicine. They are not required to take the traditional pre-med science courses and do not have to take the MCAT. These results indicate that a liberal arts undergraduate preparation for medical school is as beneficial as the traditional science preparation. The research is published in the August issue of Academic Medicine.

31 Jul 2010

Innovative health care effort in Chicago reports successes and disappointments

"An initiative designed to transform health care on Chicago's South Side ... has linked 5,600 people to a 'medical home' since 2005, University of Chicago executives said Thursday," The Chicago Tribune reported.

31 Jul 2010

Research Roundup:COBRA subsidies; Children's insurance and dental coverage; Adopting health IT; Race and heart treatments

Archives of Internal Medicine: Racial Differences In Admissions To High-Quality Hospitals For Coronary Heart Disease - "Racial disparities in the management of coronary heart disease (CHD) are widely documented, yet the reasons behind persistent gaps in quality of care are not fully understood," write the authors, who examined "Medicare patients with acute myocardial infarction and coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG) admitted during 2002 through 2005 to hospitals located in markets with top-ranked cardiac hospitals, as ascertained from the US News and World Report 'America's Best Hospitals' annual rankings."

31 Jul 2010

Paperwork for reimbursement prevents PCTs access to high-cost cancer drugs

The amount of paperwork that primary care trusts (PCTs) have to fill out in order to be reimbursed for cancer drugs is so great that they may be missing out on millions of pounds, a report suggests.

30 Jul 2010

MSP announces enhancements to EHR Selector

Medical Strategic Planning announces enhancements to the widely-used EHR Selector, which empowers Regional Extension Centers to quickly qualify EHR products and individually track thousands of practices deploying critically-vetted electronic health record solutions.

30 Jul 2010

NCQA recognizes 51 primary care practice sites as Level 3 patient-centered medical homes

An innovative quality initiative in the Hudson Valley has resulted in National Committee for Quality Assurance Recognition of 51 primary care practice sites as Level 3 patient-centered medical homes, the highest level achievable. This groundbreaking accomplishment was achieved by 236 physicians within 11 primary care practice groups (7 medical groups with multiple practice locations and 4 single site practices) and represents 44 percent of total Level 3 clinicians in New York, and nearly 10 percent of all practices at this level across the country.

29 Jul 2010

WIREC Director testifies on the implementation of HITECH Act

Peggy Evans, PhD, CPHIT, Director of the Washington & Idaho Regional Extension Center testified before the House Committee on Energy and Commerce, Subcommittee of Health, Tuesday, July 27, 2010, in Washington, DC. Dr. Evans joined David Blumenthal, MD, National Coordinator for Health Information Technology and several others on two panels of witnesses.

29 Jul 2010

The Children's Hospital constructs new LEED-certified patient tower

The Children's Hospital has begun the construction of a 10-story, 350,000-square-foot addition. The $230 million expansion of a new patient tower initially will have 124 beds, with two floors of shelled space for additional future beds, bringing the total number of patient beds at Children's to around 500 upon full completion. The expansion also is expected to bring approximately 500 new jobs to the hospital's workforce. Children's anticipates admitting patients in the LEED-certified tower beginning in late 2012.

29 Jul 2010

Hospitals focus on forming ACOs, resolving insurer disputes

News outlets report on hospital issues, including forming accountable care organizations and disputes with insurers.

29 Jul 2010

Cipher Pharmaceuticals second-quarter net revenues increase to $2.2 million

Cipher Pharmaceuticals Inc. today announced its financial and operational results for the three and six months ended June 30, 2010.

28 Jul 2010

Experts outline five principles to reduce incidence of diagnostic errors

Errors in diagnosis place a heavy financial burden on an already costly health care system and can be devastating for affected patients. Strengthening certain aspects of a new and evolving model of comprehensive and coordinated primary care could potentially address this highly relevant, but underemphasized safety concern, say Mark Graber, M.D., of Stony Brook University Medical Center, and Hardeep Singh, M.D., M.P.H., of Baylor College of Medicine, in a commentary published in the July 28 issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association.

28 Jul 2010

Maryland sees savings in federal health law, for a while at least

Maryland could spend $829 million less than expected on health care between next year and 2020 because of the federal health overhaul law, according to an analysis by a state-convened committee, The Associated Press/Washington Post reports. "The savings, however, last only until the end of the decade, when the federal law shifts a greater share of financial responsibility for Medicaid expansion to the states." The analysis was produced by the state's Health Care Reform Coordinating Council, a panel created by Gov. Martin O'Malley in March (Witte, 7/26).

28 Jul 2010

Primary care shortages affect even doctor-heavy Massachusetts

The Boston Globe: Despite being home to the largest number of doctors per person, finding a primary care physician has been getting more difficult for Massachusetts residents since 2006, according a report released by the state. "Last year 60 percent of family-medicine doctors' offices were accepting new patients, down from 70 percent in 2007, the first full year after the state mandated near-universal health insurance coverage. Last year only 44 percent of internal medicine practices were accepting new patients, down from 66 percent in 2005.

27 Jul 2010

St. John Providence Health System to migrate to eClinicalWorks comprehensive EHR solution

eClinicalWorks®, a market leader in ambulatory clinical systems, today announced that St. John Providence Health System, the largest provider of inpatient care in southeast Michigan, will be offering eClinicalWorks comprehensive electronic health record (EHR) solution for its approximately 3,000 employed and affiliated physicians.

26 Jul 2010

Experts available for comment on new medicare contracts that drive health care hookups

So-called "accountable care organizations" or ACOs might change the way that the agency running Medicare does business. An article in the Indiana Business Journal explains that the new health reform law requires the agency to sign new "shared savings" contracts with ACOs and gives examples of how these organizations work. ACOs can begin doing business with Medicare in January 2012.

26 Jul 2010

Research roundup: Hospital emergency room HIV screenings; Medical device reviews; Health law impact on docs and hospitals

Physician Satisfaction With Chronic Care Processes: A Cluster-Randomized Trial Of Guided Care - The authors randomly assigned teams of physicians and their chronically ill older patients into groups that either provided Guided Care - an educated registered nurse works with a primary care practice team to enhance quality of care - or usual care. One year later, they measured "physicians' satisfaction with chronic care processes, time spent on chronic care, knowledge of their chronically ill older patients, and care coordination provided by physicians and office staff."

26 Jul 2010

FDA approves Aricept 23 mg tablet for Alzheimer's disease

Eisai Inc. and Pfizer Inc announced today that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved a new once-daily, higher-dose Aricept 23 mg tablet for the treatment of moderate-to-severe Alzheimer's disease (AD). Aricept 23 mg tablet offers another dosing option for patients with moderate-to-severe AD, for whom few treatments are available

26 Jul 2010

Today's OpEds: Varying points on the nation's doctor shortage, benefits of negative studies, and what about universal health care?

In the long list of problems affecting the American health care system, the shortage of general practitioners and overabundance of specialists is usually ranked near the top. There is truth to this: only 32 percent of physicians practice primary care medicine. As a result, patients have to wait longer to see their doctors and are more likely to be seen by nurse practitioners and physician assistants instead. However, pediatrics has the opposite problem: a growing shortage of pediatric subspecialists (Dennis Rosen, 7/22).

23 Jul 2010

HPM recognizes 19 Michigan health care providers for outstanding quality, service

The 19 Michigan health care providers were identified as the top primary care offices through a rigorous selection process that was based on Health Plan of Michigan's 2009 quality incentive plan. "We wanted to show our gratitude to our highest ranking health care providers for their excellence in quality and service," said Raymond D. Pitera, Vice President of Provider Service for Health Plan of Michigan. "We truly appreciate the access to quality services they provide to our Medicaid Members."

23 Jul 2010

Primary Care News and Research

Latest Primary Care News and Research

Study on disparities in survival of cancer patients from different socioeconomic groups

HuMed program at Mount Sinai provides various educational experiences before medical school

Innovative health care effort in Chicago reports successes and disappointments

Research Roundup:COBRA subsidies; Children's insurance and dental coverage; Adopting health IT; Race and heart treatments

Paperwork for reimbursement prevents PCTs access to high-cost cancer drugs

MSP announces enhancements to EHR Selector

NCQA recognizes 51 primary care practice sites as Level 3 patient-centered medical homes

WIREC Director testifies on the implementation of HITECH Act

The Children's Hospital constructs new LEED-certified patient tower

Hospitals focus on forming ACOs, resolving insurer disputes

Cipher Pharmaceuticals second-quarter net revenues increase to $2.2 million

Experts outline five principles to reduce incidence of diagnostic errors

Maryland sees savings in federal health law, for a while at least

Primary care shortages affect even doctor-heavy Massachusetts

St. John Providence Health System to migrate to eClinicalWorks comprehensive EHR solution

Experts available for comment on new medicare contracts that drive health care hookups

Research roundup: Hospital emergency room HIV screenings; Medical device reviews; Health law impact on docs and hospitals

FDA approves Aricept 23 mg tablet for Alzheimer's disease

Today's OpEds: Varying points on the nation's doctor shortage, benefits of negative studies, and what about universal health care?

HPM recognizes 19 Michigan health care providers for outstanding quality, service

Clue's CEO Rhiannon White on the Future of Femtech and PCOS

Freezing Point Osmometry in Life Science Applications

Precision in every drop: Inside Hamilton’s syringe technology

Primary Care News and Research

Latest Primary Care News and Research

Clue's CEO Rhiannon White on the Future of Femtech and PCOS

Freezing Point Osmometry in Life Science Applications

Precision in every drop: Inside Hamilton’s syringe technology

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