Primary Care News and Research

Latest Primary Care News and Research

GE Healthcare to provide surveillance data for H1N1 and seasonal influenza activity throughout the U.S.

GE Healthcare, one of the leading providers of healthcare information technology, today announced its selection by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) to provide extensive surveillance data for H1N1 and seasonal influenza activity throughout the United States.

29 Oct 2009

Obama seeks health reform support from small businesses

Roll Call: "The White House is aggressively courting the small-business community, believing that some on GOP-friendly Main Street can be enlisted in the fight for health care reform and that assistance to mom-and-pop shops is vital to chipping away at the unemployment rate. ... White House officials were on the phone to the [U.S. Chamber of Commerce] and the GOP-leaning National Federation of Independent Business on Friday asking them to provide a group of small-business owners for Obama to talk with at the White House on Thursday."

28 Oct 2009

States face unpopular cuts in health spending

State governments, especially New York's, are facing budget gaps that officials hope to close with cuts to health spending. But, their constituents are resisting the proposed changes that could result in fewer services.

28 Oct 2009

New CCS guidelines and position papers for physicians and nurse practitioners

Several new guidelines and position papers offering the most up to date information to ensure that clinicians practice evidence-based medicine were released at the Canadian Cardiovascular Congress 2009 this week.

28 Oct 2009

Vascular surgeons are endovascularly-trained and have better safety records

Vascular surgeons have the highest market share and the lowest overall mortality and morbidity rates for peripheral arterial interventions (PAI), when compared to interventional cardiologists and interventional radiologists who also perform this procedure.

28 Oct 2009

Arena Pharmaceuticals presents data from its Phase 3 trial of LOrcaserin

Arena Pharmaceuticals, Inc. reported today data from the pivotal BLOSSOM (Behavioral modification and LOrcaserin Second Study for Obesity Management) Phase 3 trial that demonstrate improvements in patients' body composition, cardiovascular risk factors and quality of life. These findings add to the previously announced top-line BLOSSOM data that showed highly significant weight loss with lorcaserin over one year of treatment in 4,008 patients.

28 Oct 2009

HHS funds projects to combat health care-associated infections

HHS Secretary Kathleen Sebelius today announced the award of $17 million to fund projects to fight costly and dangerous health care-associated infections, or HAIs.

28 Oct 2009

Not enough med students choosing primary care, experts say

"It's one small piece of health care reform, but it's a big deal for medical schools and doctor's offices: forgiving the student loans of doctors who choose primary care," the Minneapolis Star Tribune reports.

27 Oct 2009

Today's opinions and editorials

Health Reform Will Increase Medicaid Costs The Philadelphia Inquirer The financial stakes are high for the states, nearly all of which are struggling just to discharge their current Medicaid commitments (Laura Katz Olson, 10/27).

27 Oct 2009

BJC HealthCare to purchase Solos Endoscopy's MammoView line of products

Solos Endoscopy, Inc. is pleased to announce that the Company has received purchase orders for its MammoView(TM) line of surgical endoscopy instruments from BJC HealthCare, St. Louis Missouri. BJC HealthCare is one of the largest nonprofit health care organizations in the United States, delivering services to residents primarily in the greater St. Louis, southern Illinois and mid-Missouri regions.

27 Oct 2009

A new choice in healthcare for residents of Chicago's suburbs

A new choice in healthcare is coming to residents of Chicago's suburbs. Santiago A. Candocia, M.D. and Richard Stern, M.D., of Winnetka and Stewart Segal, M.D. of Lake Zurich, are now part of the growing number of physicians across the nation to offer a new healthcare option to patients: the hybrid model of concierge care.

27 Oct 2009

Insurer contracting policies can jeopardize health care system, says NNCC study

A study conducted by National Nursing Centers Consortium (NNCC) has found that nearly half (48%) of all major managed-care organizations in the United States do not credential or contract with nurse practitioners as primary care providers.

27 Oct 2009

Lack of optimal pain care delivery system costs more than $100 billion each year

A new Pain Medicine Position Paper published by leaders of the American Academy of Pain Medicine (AAPM), reveals businesses lose $61 billion annually due to ineffective pain care and the lack of optimal pain care delivery.

27 Oct 2009

Physicians launch SUCCEED, program for breast cancer survivors

Breast cancer. A diagnosis of those two words elicits an array of emotions ranging from fear and anger, to confusion and uncertainty. To cope, women often look to family, friends and survivors for support, forming a network of people to help guide them through their diagnosis and treatment. As treatment begins, the plan seems clear.

27 Oct 2009

Axolotl launches Elysium Image Exchange

Axolotl Corp., the nationwide leader in health information exchange (HIE) solutions and services, today announced the immediate availability of Elysium Image Exchange, a state-of-the-art technology integrated with Axolotl’s Elysium® Exchange suite of products. Powered by Axolotl’s partner eHealth Global Technologies, Inc. (eHGT), Elysium Image Exchange enables the electronic sharing of diagnostic quality medical images between health care providers participating in an HIE.

26 Oct 2009

StayinFront signs agreements with two leading biopharma companies to deploy StayinFront EdgeRx

StayinFront, Inc., a leading global provider of CRM and decision support solutions, announced today that they have reached agreements with two leading biopharma companies to deploy StayinFront EdgeRx. Announced only recently, StayinFront EdgeRx is the new On Demand CRM and analytics solution that offers superior functionality and performance from a company that has been delivering cutting edge CRM solutions to the industry for 20 years.

26 Oct 2009

First physician affiliated with Renaissance Health Systems goes live with PWeR

The Quantum Group, Inc. announced today that the first physician affiliated with Quantum subsidiary Renaissance Health Systems has “gone live” with PWeR™ (Personal Wellness electronic Record™), the one patient, one record™ electronic medical record platform offered by Quantum Innovations, Inc.

26 Oct 2009

Obese patients less likely to achieve cholesterol and blood pressure control

Obese patients taking medications to lower their blood pressure and cholesterol levels are less likely to reach recommended targets for these cardiovascular disease risk factors than their normal weight counterparts, according to new research presented at the 2009 Canadian Cardiovascular Congress hosted by the Canadian Cardiovascular Society and the Heart and Stroke Foundation of Canada.

26 Oct 2009

Researchers elucidate the effect of nutritional parameters in long-term PPI therapy

Gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) is the most common esophageal disorder, and frequently encountered in the primary care setting. Accumulating evidence has confirmed the excellent efficacy and safety of proton pump inhibitor (PPI) therapy in patients with all grades of GERD, making these agents the mainstay of treatment.

24 Oct 2009

Maxim Health Systems cancels all flu shot clinics at retail locations

Maxim Health Systems has cancelled all flu shot clinics at retail locations after October 22, due to lack of vaccine availability. Across the country, there has been a drastic increase in both demand and media attention regarding influenza and vaccine availability. While the nation is experiencing an increase in demand for flu vaccine, manufacturers are unable to produce more seasonal flu vaccine because all resources have been shifted to H1N1 production.

24 Oct 2009