http://medicalxpress.com/ en-us Medical Xpress internet news portal provides the latest news on Health and Medicine. Experts have written about health care disparities between Latinos and non-Latino whites, mostly from a policy standpoint. They've also looked at the same disparities from the perspective of the patient, in terms of access, use and the quality of health care. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2011-10-physicians-latinos-high-hurdles.html Health Tue, 11 Oct 2011 07:22:15 EST news237536526 Visiting a primary care clinician every two weeks was associated with greater control of blood glucose, blood pressure and cholesterol levels among patients with diabetes, according to a report in the September 26 issue of Archives of Internal Medicine. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2011-09-frequent-office-factors-patients-diabetes.html Diseases, Conditions, Syndromes Mon, 26 Sep 2011 16:24:34 EST news236273066 A survey of US primary care physicians shows that many believe that their own patients are receiving too much medical care and many feel that malpractice reform, realignment of financial incentives and having more time with patients could reduce pressures on physicians to do more than they feel is needed, according to a report in the September 26 issue of Archives of Internal Medicine. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2011-09-survey-physicians-patients.html Health Mon, 26 Sep 2011 16:23:19 EST news236272987 How do physicians decide which colleague to refer their patient to? It differs depending on whether you ask primary care or specialist physicians, according to research from Harvard Medical School, Brigham and Women's Hospital, and Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center in Boston, USA, led by Michael Barnett. Primary care physicians are more likely to cite reasons relating to patient access or physician-to-physician communication whereas medical or surgical specialists cite reasons related to patient experience with the chosen physician. Barnett and colleagues' work appears online in the Journal of General Internal Medicine. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2011-09-referral-decisions-differ-primary-physicians.html Health Mon, 19 Sep 2011 11:23:28 EST news235650186 One of the nation's leading voices in patient care and safety says that the key to successfully navigating the challenges and changes that health care reform will bring is the ability to "reimagine and redefine" what nursing is all about. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2011-09-nurse-practitioners-critical-link-demands.html Health Mon, 19 Sep 2011 04:16:58 EST news235624540 Although society's perception might be that surgeons endure greater mental challenges and stress in their work duties than a primary care doctor, new research from experts at the University of Cincinnati (UC) shows that this isn't necessarily the case. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2011-09-physicians-varying-specialties-similar-mental.html Health Thu, 08 Sep 2011 10:50:01 EST news234697080 "Federal funds must be used efficiently to align spending with workforce policy goals and ensure that taxpayers are getting optimal value from their investment in GME (graduate medical education)," the American College of Physicians (ACP) noted today. The organization made these and other comments when its latest policy paper, Aligning GME Policy with the Nation's Health Care Workforce Needs, was released today. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2011-09-aligning-gme-policy-nation-health.html Health Wed, 07 Sep 2011 14:38:37 EST news234625104 There is growing use of financial incentives in many countries to reward primary care practitioners who improve the quality of their services. After reviewing all available data in a Cochrane Systematic Review, a team of researchers found insufficient evidence to either support or refute the practice. They conclude that policymakers need to proceed with caution before setting up an incentive scheme and think carefully about the way it is designed. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2011-09-proceed-caution-financial-incentives-doctors.html Health Wed, 07 Sep 2011 04:19:54 EST news234587966 Cognitive impairment, even when detected at an early, mild stage, is a significant predictor of decreased life expectancy. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2011-09-mild-cognitive-impairment-substantially-death.html Health Mon, 05 Sep 2011 17:00:01 EST news234449211 Smokers who also have alcohol, drug and mental disorders would benefit greatly from smoking cession counseling from their primary care physicians and would be five times more successful at kicking the habit, a study by researchers at UCLA's Jonsson Comprehensive Cancer Center has found. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2011-08-smokers-comorbid-conditions-doctor.html Health Tue, 23 Aug 2011 10:44:25 EST news233315014 Metabolic syndrome comprises a group of medical disorders that increase people's risk of diabetes, heart disease, stroke, and premature death when they occur together. A patient is diagnosed with the syndrome when he or she exhibits three or more of the following characteristics: high blood pressure, high blood sugar, excess body fat in the waist/abdomen, low good cholesterol, and higher levels of fatty acids (the building blocks of fat). http://medicalxpress.com/news/2011-08-metabolic-syndrome-kidney-disease.html Diseases, Conditions, Syndromes Fri, 19 Aug 2011 03:47:28 EST news232944427 A shortage in the number and availability of primary care physicians may continue to mean rising numbers of emergency department visits, despite the expanded health insurance coverage required by the 2010 Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (ACA). http://medicalxpress.com/news/2011-08-barriers-primary-americans-emergency-department.html Health Tue, 09 Aug 2011 09:39:36 EST news232101533 Even though many Americans learn through community health screenings that they are at high risk for having a stroke, they rarely follow-up with their doctor for care. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2011-08-high-risk-patients-follow-up.html Diseases, Conditions, Syndromes Thu, 04 Aug 2011 10:20:01 EST news231671326 Suicide is the 11th leading cause of death in the United States. Every year millions of Americans think about taking their own lives. Sadly, each year tens of thousands die by suicide. While suicides can be a shock to family and friends, some warning signs exist. Often a simple question from a family doctor can be enough to start a person toward help and treatment. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2011-08-primary-physicians-key-suicide-video.html Psychology & Psychiatry Mon, 01 Aug 2011 14:50:04 EST news231427031 There are major differences between oncologists and primary care physicians regarding knowledge, attitudes, and practices required to care for American's 12 million cancer survivors. That is the key finding of the first nationally representative survey of doctors that reveals how these differences pose significant barriers to effective communication and coordination of care following initial cancer treatment. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2011-07-doctors-differ-america-million-cancer.html Cancer Mon, 25 Jul 2011 09:44:59 EST news230805888 "A debt ceiling agreement must be reached in time to avert an unprecedented suspension of funding for the millions of patients who rely on Medicare, Medicaid and other federal health programs," Virginia Hood, MBBS, MPH, FACP, president of the American College of Physicians (ACP) told the president, vice president and Congressional leaders today. "I am writing to share our views on enactment of legislation to increase the debt ceiling linked to an agreement on policies to reduce the federal budget deficit." http://medicalxpress.com/news/2011-07-debt-ceiling-agreement-essential-disruption.html Health Thu, 07 Jul 2011 16:36:13 EST news229275360 Fewer than half of primary care physicians for adults talk to their patients about diet, exercise and weight management consistently, while pediatricians are somewhat more likely to do so, according to two new studies. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2011-06-primary-physicians-dont-patients-weight.html Health Tue, 07 Jun 2011 10:50:46 EST news226662627 Medicare beneficiaries residing in areas with higher levels of primary care physicians per population have modestly lower death rates and fewer preventable hospitalizations, according to a study in the May 25 issue of JAMA. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2011-05-higher-primary-physicians-area-favorable.html Health Tue, 24 May 2011 16:48:01 EST news225474463 Electronic medical records (EMRs) have been in use for more than 30 years, but have only increased in utilization in recent years, due in part to research supporting the benefits of EMRs and federal legislation. As EMRs have become a standard in medical care, there is a need for additional research of how the system and usage can be refined. A group of researchers from Brigham and Women's Hospital have done just that, and discovered that one way false information can make its way into EMRs is due to users' reliance on copying and pasting material within the patient's record. These findings are published in the May 23 issue of Archives of Internal Medicine. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2011-05-lifestyle-glycemic-patients-diabetes-true.html Health Tue, 24 May 2011 10:22:17 EST news225451318 Among patients referred by non-dermatologists to dermatologists for evaluation of skin lesions suspected of being malignant, only apparently one-fifth were found to be cancerous, although dermatologists identified and biopsied other incidental lesions, approximately half of which were malignant, according to a report in the May issue of Archives of Dermatology, one of the JAMA/Archives journals. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2011-05-patients-dermatologists-skin-lesions-cancers.html Cancer Mon, 16 May 2011 16:56:56 EST news224783804 Doctors often rely on a patient's knowledge of family medical history to estimate his or her risk of cancer. However, patient reports of family cancer history are not highly accurate, according to a study appearing May 11th online in the Journal of the National Cancer Institute. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2011-05-patient-relatives-cancer-history-accurate.html Cancer Wed, 11 May 2011 16:00:02 EST news224339151 (PhysOrg.com) -- The act of making a recommendation appears to change the way physicians think regarding medical choices, and they often make different choices for themselves than what they recommend to patients, according to a survey study published in the April 11 issue of Archives of Internal Medicine. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2011-04-physicians-treatments-patients.html Other Mon, 11 Apr 2011 16:38:00 EST news221758670 A reformed Medicaid program must put coordinated primary care at the forefront of its efforts, the American College of Physicians (ACP) said in a new position paper released today at Internal Medicine 2011, ACP's annual scientific meeting. Medicaid and Health Care Reform highlights how primary care physicians will assume a major role in providing care to Medicaid beneficiaries. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2011-04-reformed-medicaid-forefront-efforts.html Health Fri, 08 Apr 2011 17:24:39 EST news221502267