Primary Care News and Research

Latest Primary Care News and Research

Eisai signs agreement with Arena Pharmaceuticals GmbH to commercialize lorcaserin

Eisai Inc., the U.S. pharmaceutical operation of Tokyo-based Eisai Co., Ltd., announced today that it has entered into an agreement with Arena Pharmaceuticals GmbH, a wholly owned subsidiary of Arena Pharmaceuticals, Inc., for exclusive U.S. rights to commercialize lorcaserin, a drug candidate for potential use in the treatment of obesity, including weight loss, for patients who are obese (Body Mass Index or BMI ≥ 30) or overweight (BMI ≥ 27) with at least one weight-related co-morbid condition.

1 Jul 2010

Constituents of the U.S. healthcare system ready to adopt value-based insurance designs: Study

A new study commissioned by The TriZetto Group, Inc. finds that doctors, health insurers, consumers and other constituents of the U.S. healthcare system say they are ready and willing to adopt value-based insurance designs and related payment programs. Such designs encourage patients and clinicians to make better choices to improve care based on proven best practices, using both better information and financial incentives.

1 Jul 2010

Lawmakers urge swifter launch of home health care demo

"The so-called Independence at Home (IAH) program, included as part of the Democrats' new health reform law, is scheduled to take effect no later than Jan. 1, 2012, but Sen. Ron Wyden (D-Ore.) and Rep. Edward Markey (D-Mass.) warn that waiting that long would threaten the health of one of the country's most vulnerable populations," The Hill reports.

1 Jul 2010

Counseling programs increase mammography compliance among low-income women

Even with health insurance, low-income women had lower rates of mammography screening than middle-class women, but a counseling program increased the likelihood of screening.

30 Jun 2010

New strategies can improve continuity of primary care, shorten patient waiting time

A national shortage of primary care doctors plus a growing population of older adults, many with chronic diseases, is leading in some underserved areas to longer wait times to see a doctor and is reducing patients' chances of seeing their own physician, experts say.

30 Jun 2010

Intarcia presents ITCA 650 Phase 2 study results at 70th ADA

Intarcia Therapeutics, Inc. presented today the results of a phase 2 clinical study of ITCA 650 (DUROS® continuous subcutaneous delivery of exenatide) for the treatment of type 2 diabetes as a late-breaker at the Annual Conference of the American Diabetes Association in Orlando, FL (June 25-29, 2010). Results of the phase 2 study demonstrated substantial reductions in HbA1c and body weight during the 12 weeks of treatment with ITCA 650 at both the 20 mcg/day and 40 mcg/day doses.

28 Jun 2010

Greenway to provide physician's infrastructure solutions to St. Cloud Medical Group

Greenway Medical Technologies, Inc. is partnering with St. Cloud Medical Group to provide its single-database electronic health record (EHR), practice management and interoperability solution PrimeSuite®, online portal PrimePatient® and remote clinic PrimeMobile™ to St. Cloud's primary care, urgent care, occupational health, surgical, pediatrics, pain management, and OB/GYN services.

28 Jun 2010

States struggle with physician shortages, health care workforce issues

Worcester (Mass.) Telegram & Gazette, reports on a national shortage of pediatric subspecialists. "While Massachusetts has more pediatric sub-specialists per capita than many other states, the doctors are in short supply, even at big institutions like UMass. … Pediatric sub-specialists go through several years of training: four years of medical school, three years of training in pediatrics, then another three years of training in a specialty," yet their salaries are not much higher than regular pediatricians.

28 Jun 2010

Bayonne Medical Center implements Picis ED PulseCheck ahead of schedule

Picis announced today that Bayonne Medical Center, Bayonne, NJ, has successfully deployed Picis ED PulseCheck™, part of the CareSuite® family of high-acuity solutions, two months ahead of schedule. This aggressive implementation is aimed at helping clinicians in the emergency department (ED) better manage information and the process of treating over 28,000 ED patients annually.

28 Jun 2010

Masimo granted FDA clearance for Pronto-7 noninvasive hemoglobin spot-check testing device

Masimo, the inventor of Masimo Rainbow Pulse CO-Oximetry™, Masimo Rainbow Acoustic Monitoring™, and Masimo SET® Measure-Through Motion and Low Perfusion pulse oximetry, today announced FDA 510(k) clearance for the Pronto-7™—a new handheld device designed for quick and easy noninvasive hemoglobin (SpHb®) spot-check testing, along with SpO2, pulse rate, and perfusion index, in virtually any environment.

28 Jun 2010

Increased follow-up care proves key to helping depressed patients feel better

New data released by two non-profit health care organizations, MN Community Measurement and the Institute for Clinical Systems Improvement, indicate that Minnesota providers only slightly improved their quality of care for patients with depression from a year ago, but that new programs that increase clinic contact with the patient demonstrate the potential for much better results moving forward.

28 Jun 2010

CDC fails to implement official HIV testing guidelines, AHF criticizes

As health departments, community organizations and AIDS advocates around the country observe National HIV Testing Day today, AIDS Healthcare Foundation criticized the Centers for Disease Control's for its failure to implement its own landmark 2006 change it its official HIV testing guidelines that included the recommendation for routine testing of all individuals ages 13-64 for HIV as they visit or encounter routine healthcare settings.

28 Jun 2010

St. Mary Medical Center opens new outpatient center for chronic wound treatment

High Desert residents suffering from hard-to-heal wounds now have greater resources to help heal their wounds and get their lives back. St. Mary Medical Center, a 190-bed acute care hospital in the High Desert of Southern California, announced today the opening of its Center for Wound Care and Hyperbaric Medicine.

28 Jun 2010

Pennsylvania reports drop in hospital infections, other patient care issues include CT scans

The Pennsylvania Department of Health found that 12.5 percent fewer patients contracted infections in the state's hospitals in 2009 than a year earlier, according to the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. But the reports shows that there were 25,914 infections in 2009. "'Though the report seems to show we're making progress, 25,914 is still a very large number and shows we still have our work cut out for us in bringing that number down,' Stephen Ostroff, the state's acting physician general, said Thursday.

25 Jun 2010

AAHIVM encourages medical providers to utilize its screening tools on National HIV Testing Day

National HIV Testing Day is June 27, 2010. Like every day in a country where there are 56,000 new HIV infections a year, approximately 150 Americans will learn of their HIV infection on June 27th. So, here's the question -- what happens on June 28th, the day after National HIV Testing Day? What do medical providers do with these newly-identified HIV patients?

25 Jun 2010

Efforts to make medicine cheaper, more efficient underway

One of Minnesota's largest providers of supportive housing for seniors will begin testing telemedicine and sensor technology to help frail seniors stay healthier and delay institutional care under an $8 million grant announced Wednesday. It will be the largest project of its kind in the nation, involving about 1,600 clients in 40 rural cities.

25 Jun 2010

Automated calls can increase colon cancer screening rates by 30%: Study

Simple, automated telephone reminders can increase colon cancer screening rates by 30 percent, according to a Kaiser Permanente Center for Health Research study funded by the National Cancer Institute that appears in the July print edition of Medical Care.

25 Jun 2010

Latino population less likely to receive basic preventive tests, says study

"Prevention" is the new buzzword for health professionals and the new emphasis for containing future health care costs. Yet Latinos, who currently represent about 15 percent of the U.S. population, have the lowest level of preventive care of all racial and ethnic groups in the nation.

25 Jun 2010

Cognitive behaviour therapy effective for treating anxiety disorders

Brief therapy at the GP's surgery can effectively treat anxiety and depression. Researchers writing in the open access journal BMC Medicine found that cognitive behaviour therapy (CBT) was effective for treating anxiety disorders, while CBT, problem solving therapy (PST) and counseling were all equally effective in treating depression and mixed anxiety and depression.

25 Jun 2010

Six-month Medicare patch slows Medicare meltdown for now

“The six-month Medicare patch Congress passed today is a very temporary reprieve for seniors and baby boomers who rely on the promise of Medicare. Delaying the problem is not a solution. It doesn’t solve the Medicare mess Congress has created with a long series of short-term Medicare patches over the last decade – including four to avert the 2010 cut alone.

24 Jun 2010