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UrduAs COVID-19 necessitated the wider adoption of telemedicine, the rate of completed primary care visits for Black patients rose to the same level of non-Black patients, Penn Medicine study finds
Tag: Primary Care
What drives racial and ethnic gaps in Medicare’s quality program?
The improvements in care for older adults from the Accountable Care Organization movement haven’t reached all older Americans equally. ACOs that include a higher percentage of patients who are Black, Hispanic, Native American or Asian have lagged behind those with higher percentage of white patients in providing preventive care and keeping patients out of the hospital. Now, a new study shows that some of this inequity stems from how an ACO’s patients get their primary care.
A lifeline for primary care amid a crisis in youth mental health
Most mental health care in America doesn’t happen in psychiatrists’ offices – especially when it comes to children, teens and young adults. It happens in primary care settings. As needs spike due to the pandemic, a program offers a psychiatry “lifeline” for Michigan’s primary care providers, and online education for providers anywhere.
Community Health Center Honored for Services Assisting Minority Women
Florida Atlantic University and Northwest Community Health Alliance’s Community Health Center, operated by FAU’s Christine E. Lynn College of Nursing, together with the West Palm Beach YWCA, recently received the “2021 Community Collaborators Award” from Nonprofits First, Inc., for their untiring efforts to mitigate health care disparities among women from minority groups with limited access to quality care.
UC San Diego Health Earns High Quality Marks, Saves Medicare Money
UC San Diego Health improved care for more than 32,000 Medicare beneficiaries in San Diego, Riverside, and Imperial Counties, and saved Medicare close to $7 million by utilizing population health technologies to exceed quality and cost goals in 2020.
UC San Diego Health Launches New Center to Spur Patient-Centered Technologies
From tele-monitoring patients with diabetes to using artificial intelligence to prevent sepsis, the newly launched Center for Health Innovation will seek to develop, test and commercialize technologies that make a real, measurable difference in the lives and wellbeing of patients.
For cancer care, patients’ relationship with their primary care providers prove crucial
Communication between patients and their primary care providers is key to ensuring effective cancer care, both before diagnosis and after treatment, according to two recent papers led by University of Michigan Rogel Cancer Center researchers.
Caring for the Physical Health of Those with Mental Illness
Researchers look into methods to reduce the early mortality in those with serious mental illnesses
The Medical Minute: Why you need a primary care provider
To call you the picture of health is an understatement. Why, then, do you need a doctor? In this week’s Medical Minute, two primary care providers explain why establishing a relationship with a doctor now can make all the difference to your health.
UTHealth expert publishes osteoporosis guide to help family medicine/primary care physicians care for their patients
An osteoporosis guide for primary care providers to better treat their patients has been published in the journal of Family Medicine by clinicians and researchers with The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston (UTHealth).
Primary care-based resources can successfully address alcohol-use problems
Few patients with alcohol-use problems who might benefit from either pharmacotherapy or specialized addiction treatment typically receive care. That may now change owing to a pilot study which examined the feasibility of providing a real-time video consultation resource in primary care. The study’s findings will be shared at the 44th annual scientific meeting of the Research Society on Alcoholism (RSA), which will be held virtually this year from the 19th – 23rd of June 2021 due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
One-third of older Americans delayed health care over COVID concerns
Nearly one in three Americans between the ages of 50 and 80 put off an in-person appointment for medical care in 2020 because they were worried about exposure to the novel coronavirus, new national poll data show.
Center Brings Doctors, Scientists Together to Improve Health of Mother and Child
The Center for Perinatal Discovery at UC San Diego brings doctors and researchers together for clinical, translational and basic research to better understand maternal health, environmental exposures, fertility, pregnancy and the health of children.
Harnessing healthy behaviors to prevent dementia
The approval of a new Alzheimer’s disease drug is getting a lot of attention, but a recent scientific review of the evidence about dementia prevention shows an important role for primary care providers and patients to modify risk factors and protect brain health over the long term.
UH authors ‘design for value’ to improve patient and physician experience for referrals
A new paper describes how a framework called “designing for value” was used to re-imagine the referral system of patients from primary care doctors to psychiatrists. The results seems to be an improved experience for patients, primary care doctors, and psychiatrists who participated in the model.
Alcohol problems severely undertreated
Researchers at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis have found that although the vast majority of people with alcohol use disorder see their doctors regularly for a range of issues, fewer than one in 10 ever get treatment to help curb their drinking.
No Excuses: Stop Procrastinating on These Key Health Checks
A quick guide to the most-valuable preventive care that adults need to get scheduled, to catch up on what they may have missed during the height of the pandemic, and to address issues that the pandemic might have worsened.
FAU/NCHA Community Health Center First University in Florida to Receive HRSA Designation
The FAU/NCHA Community Health Center is the first university in Florida to be designated by the U.S. Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA), as a “Federally Qualified Health Center (FQHC) Look-Alike. To receive this designation, organizations must operate and provide services consistent with HRSA’s Health Center Program requirements to ensure health care for underserved communities and vulnerable populations in the U.S. through service provision to all, regardless of ability to pay.
Virtual “urgent care” may lead to higher rates of downstream follow-up care, study suggests
Even before the pandemic made telehealth a hot topic, people with minor urgent health needs had started to turn to companies that offer on-demand video chats. Some insurers and employers support this, hoping it might reduce in-person care, including emergency department visits. But a new study casts some doubt on whether that will actually happen.
More Primary Care Physicians Could Mean Gains in Life Expectancy, Fewer Deaths
New study quantifies the effects of increasing the number of primary care physicians in areas with physician shortages
Increasing the number of primary care physicians in such regions could boost population life expectancy
More primary care physicians could mean fewer deaths in these shortage regions
You’ve Got to Move It, Move It
Research from Herbert Wertheim School of Public Health and Human Longevity Sciences at UC San Diego suggests that light-intensity physical activity, including shopping or a casual walk, may protect against mobility disability in older women.
Patients who take opioids for pain can’t get in the door at more than half of primary care clinics
People who take opioid medications for chronic pain may have a hard time finding a new primary care clinic that will take them on as a patient if they need one, according to a new “secret shopper” study of hundreds of clinics across the country.
Program Expansion to Address Increase of Impaired Driving During Global COVID-19 Pandemic
Researchers at University of California San Diego School of Medicine will expand a statewide program to prevent driving under the influence of alcohol, cannabis and prescription drugs.
How long do doctor visits last? Electronic health records provide new data on time with patients
How much time do primary care physicians actually spend one-on-one with patients? Analysis of timestamp data from electronic health records (EHRs) provides useful insights on exam length and other factors related to doctors’ use of time, reports a study in the January issue of Medical Care. The journal is published in the Lippincott portfolio by Wolters Kluwer.
Primary Care in a Pandemic: Spotting Mental Health Needs and More
The number of people dealing with mental distress caused by enduring months of pandemic, economic disruption and political turmoil is rising fast. And America’s primary care clinics are the front line for many of those mental health concerns. A new online toolkit aims to help primary care clinics cope with this influx, and draw from the expertise of mental health specialists and researchers.
Student Medical Records at UC San Diego Make Epic Change and a California First
UC San Diego was the first university in California to connect 40,000 student health records to the electronic health record platform of its top-ranked academic medical center, UC San Diego Health. The experience has created a model for other colleges.
Study highlights link between depressive symptoms and stroke risk
People with multiple depressive symptoms have an increased risk for stroke, with new findings showing that individuals who scored higher on a test designed to measure depressive symptoms had a higher stroke risk than those with lower scores.
Safety Considerations for Visiting Primary Care Doctors
The COVID-19 pandemic has left many people with chronic health conditions relying on telemedicine rather than seeing their doctor in person when necessary or putting off important visits entirely because they fear being infected.
Ann M. Nguyen, an assistant research professor at Rutgers Center for State Health Policy at the Institute for Health, Health Care Policy and Aging Research, who recently published a paper on safety measures at physician offices, discusses what people should know about visiting their doctor and why putting off appointments that need to be done in person could lead to other health problems.
Study Highlights Shortcomings in Telemedicine Despite Large Increases in Remote Consults During Covid-19 Pandemic
Despite increased use of telemedicine during the COVID-19 pandemic, Americans have had significantly fewer consultations with primary care doctors and markedly fewer assessments of common cardiac risk factors.
New online toolkit for primary care providers can support COVID-19-related mental health care
A new online toolkit can help primary care providers and their teams respond to the mental health challenges their patients may be facing because of the COVID-19 pandemic, including traumatic stress reactions, abuse potential, substance use and insomnia
HealthQuarters and Mount Sinai Health System Promise to Deliver Curated, Comprehensive Health and Wellness Experience
HealthQuarters today announces a new venture with Mount Sinai Health System to expand access to world-class health care services.
Doctors Get Plenty of Advice on Starting Treatment. This Could Help Them Know When to Stop.
Decades of effort have improved the chances that patients will get the scans, routine tests and medicines that can do them the most good – and avoid the ones that won’t help them at all.
But in the push toward evidence-based medicine, a new study says, a key step has mostly gotten overlooked: helping doctors stop or scale back – or deintensify – treatment once it has started.
UC San Diego Health Continues Regional Growth with New Clinic in Carmel Valley
UC San Diego Health continues to expand health care services by opening a new clinic located at 6030 Village Way in Pacific Highlands Ranch. The clinic offers primary care and women’s health services.
Primary care at a crossroads: Experts call for change
Primary care providers have experienced a rise in responsibilities with little or no increase in the time they have to get it all done, or reduction in the number of patients assigned to them. In two new papers, researchers look at issues facing them and offer frameworks for improvement.
UC San Diego Health Ranked #1 by U.S. News & World Report
UC San Diego Health is ranked first in San Diego and sixth in California, placing it among the nation’s best hospitals, according to the 2020-2021 U.S. News & World Report. Eight common procedures and conditions were also rated “high performing.”
UC San Diego Health Offers Virtual Appointments to Patients with COVID-19
UC San Diego Health now offers a telemedicine clinic to help patients with COVID-19 recover at home.
Nearly One-Third of Primary Care Providers Do Not View Medication Treatment for Opioid Use Disorder as Effective
A new survey of U.S. primary care physicians from researchers at Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health found that nearly one-third, 32.9 percent, do not think treating opioid use disorder with medication is any more effective than treatment without medication.
COVID-19 Concerns? FAU Medicine Now Offers Telehealth
FAU Medicine, a primary care practice in Boca Raton is now offering “virtual visits” (telehealth) with its physicians. These virtual visits can be related to preventive care, check-ups, follow-ups or acute illnesses, including supporting patients who are concerned about the coronavirus disease (COVID-19).
Most internists-in-training feel ill-equipped to treat obesity
Most resident physicians training in internal medicine do not feel adequately prepared to manage obesity in their patients, a new survey from a California residency program finds. The results were accepted for presentation at ENDO 2020, the Endocrine Society’s annual meeting, and will be published in a special supplemental section of the Journal of the Endocrine Society.
UNC School of Medicine Ranked First for Primary Care for Third Straight Year
For the third year in a row, the University of North Carolina School of Medicine was ranked first in the country for primary care education as a part of U.S. News & World Report’s 2021 edition of “America’s Best Graduate Schools.”
Rates of ADHD Diagnosis in Veterans Are Rising, Reports VA Study in Medical Care
Rates of diagnosed attention deficit-hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) in veterans receiving care in the VA health system more than doubled during the past decade, reports a study in the March issue of Medical Care. The journal is published in the Lippincott portfolio by Wolters Kluwer.
Researchers Challenge New Guidelines on Aspirin in Primary Prevention
New guidelines recommend aspirin use in primary prevention for people ages 40 to 70 years old who are at higher risk of a first cardiovascular event, but not for those over 70. Yet, people over 70 are at higher risks of cardiovascular events than those under 70. As a result, health care providers are understandably confused about whether or not to prescribe aspirin for primary prevention of heart attacks or strokes, and if so, to whom.
Baylor Scott & White Health Opens Hospital in Austin
Baylor Scott & White Health, the largest not-for-profit health system in Texas, opened its newest full-service hospital today in Austin. Austin, located at 5251 W. U.S. Highway 290, Austin, TX 78735, becomes the System’s first hospital within Austin city limits. In addition to the hospital, a multi-specialty medical clinic will be located on the same campus as part of a comprehensive model of care.
Combating the effects of gloomy weather
SAD, or seasonal affective disorder, is a type of depression that is related to changes in seasons. There are methods, like light therapy, that can help.
Primary Care Declines in America
National analysis reveals alarming decline in primary care use. Primary care is associated with better health outcomes than episodic, inconsistent care.
Medicaid expansion doubled access to primary care, increased attention to health risks in Michigan enrollees
When Michigan expanded its Medicaid program to cover more low-income residents, its leaders built in special features to encourage enrollees to understand their health risks, and incentivize them to prevent future health problems, or find them early. According to two new studies, that effort has paid off.
UC San Diego Health Continues Regional Growth with New Clinic in Eastlake
UC San Diego Health opens a new clinic in Eastlake that offers express care and imaging capabilities with primary care opening late 2019.
Cleveland Clinic Study Finds Functional Medicine Model is Associated with Improvements in Health-Related Quality of Life
In the first retrospective cohort study of the functional medicine model, Cleveland Clinic researchers found that functional medicine was associated with improvements in health-related quality of life. The study was published today in the Journal of the American Medical Association Network Open.
“Magic” Health Numbers: Physicians Analyze New Research and Offer Advice
Three primary care physicians from Western Connecticut Medical Group (WCMG) analyzed new research about several widely known “magic” health numbers and shared their health and wellness recommendations.
Adding mental health specialists to primary care clinics boosts vets’ access to outpatient services
A Veterans Health Administration program that added mental health specialists, care managers or both in primary care clinics significantly improved access to mental health and primary care services to veterans with behavioral health needs. The practice also resulted in 9% higher average annual costs for each patient.