Primary Care News and Research

Latest Primary Care News and Research

Round-up: Mississippi struggles with mental health services funding cuts; A drug discount bill advances in Mass.

"Lawmakers earlier this year vigorously fought Gov. Haley Barbour's proposal to close four state mental health hospitals and six crisis centers as a budget-saving measure. Now, nonprofit-run centers that offer front-line services for the mentally ill in some of the poorest communities across Mississippi could face closure."

25 May 2010

Advances in health IT

The New York Times: A "broad transformation in health care underway" is "fueled in good part by technology" that "promises to shift a lot of the diagnosis, monitoring and treatment of disease from hospitals and specialized clinics, where treatment is expensive, to primary care physicians and patients themselves — at far less cost."

25 May 2010

Florida health care providers offer language services, medical homes

As "the region continues to attract residents from all over the country and the world, local health care providers and educators are searching for ways to better serve them." Some use "cultural toolkits," and have guides to help providers relate to patients' cultural and religious preferences. "'From a business perspective, it makes a lot of sense,' said Bernardo Ramirez, assistant professor of health services administration at the University of Central Florida.

24 May 2010

Research roundup: Lessons from Medicare Part D; Evaluating medical homes; Insuring young adults

Lessons Learned: Who Didn't Enroll In Medicare Drug Coverage In 2006, And Why? - With data from the 2005 and 2006 Medicare Current Beneficiary Survey, this study examines enrollment of those who were previously without either public or private sources of prescription drug coverage. The authors report "63 percent of all eligible seniors and 69 percent of low-income beneficiaries were enrolled in Part D in 2006.

24 May 2010

Democrats push three-year Medicare 'doc fix' as part of larger tax bill

A proposal to stop planned payment cuts to Medicare doctors for three years is in a bill extending tax cuts and lengthening unemployment benefits.

21 May 2010

Eli Lilly to honor individuals with Welcome Back Award for improving lives of others

Despite years of debilitating depression, multiple psychiatric hospitalizations and episodes of homelessness, Joseph Rogers refused to let mental illness and an unlucky adolescence blot out his potential imprint on the world. Despite once being branded unemployable, Joseph relishes his role as advocate, embracing the challenges of being a change agent in mental health legislation, and pioneering the peer-run services movement.

21 May 2010

First Edition: May 21, 2010

In today's headlines, legislation containing a Medicare pay 'fix' and an extension of the COBRA subsidy is moving toward House consideration.

21 May 2010

Researchers propose steps to enhance patient-physician communication to improve depression care

Because people with depression often do not recognize they have a problem or are unable to describe their distress, many do not seek treatment. About a quarter of those with major depression are undiagnosed, according to several studies, and fewer than half receive treatment.

21 May 2010

Majority of patients satisfied with care, but doctors lack multicultural awareness

Most patients in the southeastern United States are satisfied with the care they get from their primary care doctor — though many doctors lack training for dealing with patients of different ethnic backgrounds and often fail to ask important questions that indicate multicultural awareness, according to results of two surveys presented at the American Heart Association's 11th Scientific Forum on Quality of Care and Outcomes Research in Cardiovascular Disease and Stroke.

21 May 2010

SLU Hospital announces increase in number of minimally-invasive spinal procedures performed

With the recent launch of the Neurosurgical Spine Program at Saint Louis University Hospital's Center for Cerebrovascular and Skull Base Surgery, the hospital has seen a dramatic increase in the number of minimally-invasive spinal procedures, including lumbar spinal fusion surgery. Designed to stop the motion at a painful vertebral segment, this procedure is traditionally performed via a large incision on the back, stripping vital muscles away from the spine. However, the emergence of minimally-invasive neurosurgical techniques is revolutionizing spinal surgery.

21 May 2010

Lawmakers agree to extend COBRA benefits, delay Medicare cuts and give states more money for Medicaid

Democratic committee leaders unveiled a tax extensions package today that would continue to allow laid-off employees "to get subsidies to buy health insurance through the COBRA program" and would also "spare doctors from a scheduled 21 percent cut in Medicare payments," The Associated Press reports. It would also give states money to cover Medicaid costs (Ohlemacher, 5/20).

21 May 2010

Most ER visitors have health insurance of some kind

A National Center for Health Statistics study has found that of the one in five Americans who visit an emergency room every year, most have health insurance.

20 May 2010

Invida Group completes joint venture agreement with MUGI

Invida Group, the leading specialty biopharmaceutical company focused on the commercialization of healthcare products throughout Asia Pacific, today announced that it has completed a joint venture agreement with the Indonesian pharmaceutical manufacturer MUGI.

20 May 2010

AANS/CNS issue statement on Congress hearing of impact of concussions on high school athletes

On Thursday, May 20, 2010, the U.S. House of Representatives Committee on Education and Labor held a hearing to learn more about the impact of concussions on high school athletes and how the injury can impact academic achievement. A concussion is an injury to the brain that results in loss of normal brain function and is usually temporary.

20 May 2010

Allergy sufferers can save out-of-pocket costs by visiting urgent care and retail health clinics instead of ER

In this economy, allergy sufferers are looking for relief from more than sneezing, runny noses, and itchy eyes. And, according to a recent study, they can find relief for both their symptoms and their wallets, saving anywhere from $50 to $400 in out-of-pocket costs per visit if they skip the emergency room and head to urgent care and retail health clinics when they are unable to see their primary physician.

20 May 2010

Flexible treatment delivery intervention in primary care reduces symptoms of anxiety: Study

An intervention in primary care settings that allowed a choice of cognitive behavior therapy, medication, or both, along with computer-assisted treatment support for patients with common anxiety disorders, resulted in greater improvement in anxiety symptoms and functional disability compared to usual care, according to a study in the May 19 issue of JAMA, a theme issue on mental health.

19 May 2010

Vaccinations recommended for adults

Yearly vaccinations aren't just for kids any more. You probably heard a lot about a seasonal or H1N1 flu shot last fall, but you should know that a battery of other adult vaccinations might also become part of your health care routine. Pneumonia and shingles vaccines are preventive-care essentials for older adults, and meningitis and tetanus shots are now college rites of passage. Even the vaccines of childhood—measles, mumps and rubella, and whooping cough—are recommended for adults who missed out in their younger years.

19 May 2010

Low blood phosphorus levels associated with high death rates in African AIDS patients: Research

Low blood phosphorus levels are associated with high death rates in the initial weeks of antiretroviral therapy (ART) in AIDS patients in sub-Saharan Africa, according to new research conducted by University of Alabama at Birmingham researchers at the UAB-affiliated Centre for Infectious Disease Research in Zambia.

19 May 2010

Physicians opting out of some insurance create two-tiered medical system

The Fiscal Times: "A small but growing number of physicians are ... abandoning traditional insurance-based practice to offer VIP treatment, including more time with patients, in return for upfront fees. In one common setup, often called concierge or retainer-based medicine, a primary care doctor charges an annual fee ranging from $1,000 to $20,000 just to get in the door.

19 May 2010

Antibiotics have significant resistance effects on individual patients in primary care

Antibiotics prescribed in primary care make a considerable contribution to the problem of antimicrobial resistance, both in individual patients and the population as a whole, according to research from the University of Bristol published in this week’s BMJ.

18 May 2010

Primary Care News and Research

Latest Primary Care News and Research

Round-up: Mississippi struggles with mental health services funding cuts; A drug discount bill advances in Mass.

Advances in health IT

Florida health care providers offer language services, medical homes

Research roundup: Lessons from Medicare Part D; Evaluating medical homes; Insuring young adults

Democrats push three-year Medicare 'doc fix' as part of larger tax bill

Eli Lilly to honor individuals with Welcome Back Award for improving lives of others

First Edition: May 21, 2010

Researchers propose steps to enhance patient-physician communication to improve depression care

Majority of patients satisfied with care, but doctors lack multicultural awareness

SLU Hospital announces increase in number of minimally-invasive spinal procedures performed

Lawmakers agree to extend COBRA benefits, delay Medicare cuts and give states more money for Medicaid

Most ER visitors have health insurance of some kind

Invida Group completes joint venture agreement with MUGI

AANS/CNS issue statement on Congress hearing of impact of concussions on high school athletes

Allergy sufferers can save out-of-pocket costs by visiting urgent care and retail health clinics instead of ER

Flexible treatment delivery intervention in primary care reduces symptoms of anxiety: Study

Vaccinations recommended for adults

Low blood phosphorus levels associated with high death rates in African AIDS patients: Research

Physicians opting out of some insurance create two-tiered medical system

Antibiotics have significant resistance effects on individual patients in primary care

CellVoyant's AI-Powered Vision for the Future of Cell Therapy

Scalable, Smart, and Accessible: The Future of Lab Automation

Healthy Beginnings, Hopeful Futures: A Conversation with WHO’s Dr. Allotey

Primary Care News and Research

Latest Primary Care News and Research

CellVoyant's AI-Powered Vision for the Future of Cell Therapy

Scalable, Smart, and Accessible: The Future of Lab Automation

Healthy Beginnings, Hopeful Futures: A Conversation with WHO’s Dr. Allotey

Newsletters you may be interested in