Medical Xpress: PHYSorg news tagged with: outpatient care http://medicalxpress.com/ en-us Medical Xpress internet news portal provides the latest news on Health and Medicine. ER docs are key to reducing health care costs Emergency physicians are key decisionmakers for nearly half of all hospital admissions, highlighting a critical role they can play in reducing health care costs, according to a new report from the RAND Corporation. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2013-05-er-docs-key-health.html Health Mon, 20 May 2013 03:20:01 EST news288237272 Study suggests federal guidelines for treating teen PID need clarification A Johns Hopkins Children's Center survey of 102 clinicians who treat teenage girls with pelvic inflammatory disease (PID) has found that official guidelines designed to inform decisions about hospitalization versus outpatient care leave some clinicians scratching their heads. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2013-04-federal-guidelines-teen-pid-clarification.html Inflammatory disorders Tue, 09 Apr 2013 16:49:28 EST news284744962 Emergency room redux for many patients after hospitalization Following a hospitalization, patients face many challenges as they transition home. A new study of this vulnerable period published by Yale School of Medicine researchers in JAMA found that a substantial number of patients return to the emergency department soon after leaving the hospital, and, while such patients are not usually readmitted, the study raises concerns that many more patients require acute medical care after hospital discharge than previously recognized. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2013-01-emergency-room-redux-patients-hospitalization.html Health Tue, 22 Jan 2013 16:00:12 EST news278091137 HHS details overhaul rules and required benefits The Obama administration is strengthening the prescription drug coverage that will be available to the millions of people who will start getting insurance through the nation's health care overhaul. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-11-hhs-overhaul-required-benefits.html Health Tue, 20 Nov 2012 15:56:37 EST news272649386 Large-scale study confirms link between creativity and mental illness (Medical Xpress)—People in creative professions are treated more often for mental illness than the general population, there being a particularly salient connection between writing and schizophrenia. This according to researchers at Karolinska Institutet, whose large-scale Swedish registry study is the most comprehensive ever in its field. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-10-large-scale-link-creativity-mental-illness.html Psychology & Psychiatry Tue, 16 Oct 2012 07:07:25 EST news269590028 UK and US should learn from each other on health care, Lancet paper says The healthcare systems of the USA and the UK are often thought of as polar opposites, yet the two countries may have much to learn from each other as they both embark upon significant health reforms, according to the authors of a Health Policy paper, published in the Lancet. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-10-uk-health-lancet-paper.html Health Thu, 11 Oct 2012 18:30:03 EST news269193336 Lower drug costs 20 years after bariatric surgery (Medical Xpress)—A new analysis of the Swedish Obese Subjects (SOS) study shows that despite considerably greater and sustained weight loss than conventionally treated controls, patients treated with bariatric surgery continued to use just as much inpatient and non-primary outpatient care than the controls during a 20 year follow-up period. However, cost savings in the surgery group were seen for medications that treat diabetes and cardiovascular disease between year 7 and 20, resulting in lower overall drug costs. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-09-drug-years-bariatric-surgery.html Health Wed, 19 Sep 2012 09:42:49 EST news267266562 Spending on children's health rising faster than adults over past four years, says report Spending on health care for children grew faster than spending for adults between 2007 and 2010 due to increasing prices for all categories of goods and services, finds a new report from the Health Care Cost Institute (HCCI). This rise in spending occurred despite a decline in number of commercially insured children and a drop in the use of costly health care services, such as hospital stays and brand-name drugs, says the Children's Health Care Spending Report: 2007-2010. This is the first such analysis to track changes in spending, prices, and use of health care services by children covered by private employer-sponsored health insurance. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-07-children-health-faster-adults-years.html Health Sun, 01 Jul 2012 06:10:54 EST news260341847 Mental health care disparities persist for black and latino children Disparities in the use of mental health services, including outpatient care and psychotropic drug prescriptions, persist for black and Latino children, reports a new study in Health Services Research. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-06-mental-health-disparities-persist-black.html Psychology & Psychiatry Fri, 22 Jun 2012 09:28:28 EST news259576102 Homelessness linked to poor health among kidney disease patients Among patients with moderate to advanced chronic kidney disease (CKD), homeless people experience higher rates of premature death and kidney failure, and they use emergency services much more often than impoverished peers with stable housing, according to a study appearing in an upcoming issue of the Clinical Journal of the American Society of Nephrology (CJASN). The findings indicate that greater efforts are needed to address the unmet needs of homeless patients with CKD and other chronic conditions to improve their health and reduce public costs. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-06-homelessness-linked-poor-health-kidney.html Diseases, Conditions, Syndromes Thu, 14 Jun 2012 17:00:43 EST news258912032 Study finds Massachusetts health reform leads to increased inpatient surgical procedures Researchers from Boston University Schools of Medicine and Public Health (BUSM, BUSPH), along with the VA Boston Healthcare System and Harvard Medical School, have found inpatient medical procedures increased more among non-elderly, lower- and medium- income populations, Hispanics and whites, after health care reform went into effect in Massachusetts. The findings, which currently appear in Medical Care, suggest improved access to outpatient care for vulnerable subpopulations since health care reform took effect. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-06-massachusetts-health-reform-inpatient-surgical.html Health Wed, 13 Jun 2012 10:48:42 EST news258803314 Change in health insurance status linked to greater emergency department use Recent changes in health insurance status were linked to greater emergency department use by newly insured and newly uninsured adults, according to a study published Online First by Archives of Internal Medicine. The article is part of the journal's Health Care Reform series. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-03-health-status-linked-greater-emergency.html Health Mon, 26 Mar 2012 16:00:03 EST news251986115 Study finds interventions to prevent Type 2 diabetes give good return on investment Programs to prevent or delay type 2 diabetes in high-risk adults would result in fewer people developing diabetes and lower health care costs over time, researchers conclude in a new study funded by the National Institutes of Health. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-03-interventions-diabetes-good-investment.html Diabetes Thu, 22 Mar 2012 15:00:01 EST news251637033 Comprehensive guidelines needed for young adult preventive care With no specific clinical preventive care guidelines targeting young adults, health care providers are missing key opportunities to improve the health of this population through preventive screening and intervention. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-03-comprehensive-guidelines-young-adult.html Health Tue, 06 Mar 2012 09:58:22 EST news250250294 Persons with dementia have higher rate of hospitalizations Compared to individuals without dementia, persons who developed dementia subsequently had a significantly higher rate of hospital admissions for all causes and admissions for ambulatory care-sensitive conditions for which proactive care may have prevented hospitalizations, according to a study in the January 11 issue of JAMA. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-01-persons-dementia-higher-hospitalizations.html Health Tue, 10 Jan 2012 16:45:59 EST news245436348 Studies identify risk factors in rising trend of liver cancer Doctors have known for years that the incidence of deadly liver cancer is on the rise, but what is causing that trend has remained a mystery. Two recent Mayo Clinic studies published in the January issue of Mayo Clinic Proceedings offer a clearer picture of the rise of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), or liver cancer, which has tripled in the U.S. in the last three decades and has a 10 to 12 percent five-year survival rate when detected in later stages. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-01-factors-trend-liver-cancer.html Cancer Tue, 03 Jan 2012 16:19:38 EST news244829858 Hospital team significantly reduced risk of further vascular events after 'mini strokes' Patients who had a transient ischaemic attack (TIA), sometimes referred to as a "mini stroke", were much less likely to experience further vascular events in the first year if their care was co-ordinated by a special hospital team. That is the key finding from a study published in the November issue of the European Journal of Neurology. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2011-10-hospital-team-significantly-vascular-events.html Neuroscience Thu, 27 Oct 2011 10:18:10 EST news238929480 Direct access to physical therapists associated with lower costs and fewer visits, new study says A new study suggesting that "the role of the physician gatekeeper in regard to physical therapy may be unnecessary in many cases" could have significant implications for the US health care system, says the American Physical Therapy Association (APTA). http://medicalxpress.com/news/2011-10-access-physical-therapists.html Health Thu, 13 Oct 2011 16:04:12 EST news237740642 Uninsured trauma patients are more likely to use the ED for follow-up care Providing access to an outpatient clinic isn't enough to keep some trauma patients who have been discharged from the hospital from returning to the emergency department (ED) for follow-up care, even for such minor needs as pain medication refills and dressing changes, according to new Johns Hopkins research. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2011-08-uninsured-trauma-patients-ed-follow-up.html Health Thu, 25 Aug 2011 15:09:43 EST news233503759 Outpatient treatment proves safe, effective for low-risk patients with pulmonary embolism Outpatient care for certain low-risk patients with pulmonary embolism (PE) can be safely and effectively used in place of inpatient care, according to a randomized, multi-center study in 19 emergency departments. The findings, published June 23 online in the Lancet, support current practice guidelines that are rarely followed by physicians. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2011-06-outpatient-treatment-safe-effective-low-risk.html Other Thu, 23 Jun 2011 14:52:33 EST news228059544 ER visits persist for children with mental health problems despite regular outpatient care Johns Hopkins Children's Center scientists have found that having a regular outpatient mental health provider may not be enough to prevent children and teens with behavioral problems from repeatedly ending up in the emergency room. The study is published in the June 1 issue of the journal Psychiatric Services. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2011-06-er-persist-children-mental-health.html Psychology & Psychiatry Wed, 01 Jun 2011 04:36:51 EST news226121791 Urgent need to improve quality of outpatient care in public and private sector in poorer countries The overall poor quality of outpatient healthcare in both the formal private and public sector in low and middle income countries is worrying—especially given the increasing volume of chronic conditions, such as diabetes and heart disease, which require relatively sophisticated, long-term outpatient medical care. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2011-04-urgent-quality-outpatient-private-sector.html Health Tue, 12 Apr 2011 18:00:19 EST news221849977