Copyright 2009 Medical News Today Latest Primary Care / General Practice News From Medical News Today. http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/sections/primary_care/ admin@medicalnewstoday.com (MNT Admin) editors@medicalnewstoday.com (MNT Editors) en-us Fri, 03 Jul 2009 05:00:00 PDT http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/156310.php http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/156310.php In an effort to encourage medical professionals to provide services to low-income rural populations in India, Union Health and Family Welfare Minister Ghulam Nabi Azad announced an initiative that will significantly raise the salary of "doctors, specialists and para-medical staff" who elect to work in "rural, particularly far-flung and inaccessible areas," the Hindu reports. Primary Care / General Practice Fri, 03 Jul 2009 05:00:00 PDT http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/156329.php http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/156329.php Doctors and nurses consider job security and the differences between primary care and specialties when choosing their career paths.The Business Courier of Cincinnati reports on an increase in nursing: "The recession has people craving a safe harbor, and nursing is probably the closest thing to it. Primary Care / General Practice Fri, 03 Jul 2009 03:00:00 PDT http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/156311.php http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/156311.php Economic Benefits Of Global Plan To Stop TB Examined A study, recently published in the journal Health Affairs, analyzes the costs associated with the Global Plan to Stop TB and compared them to the cost of sustaining the DOTS treatment program. Tuberculosis Fri, 03 Jul 2009 02:00:00 PDT http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/156281.php http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/156281.php Panel physicians are increasingly offering individual health services (IHS) to patients with statutory health insurance. This is documented by Susanne Richter et al. of the Department of Social Medicine, Lubeck University, in the new edition of Deutsches Arzteblatt (Dtsch Arztebl Int 2009; 106(26): 433-9). IHS include medical health services which are not reimbursed by the health insurance funds and which the patient has to pay for himself. Primary Care / General Practice Thu, 02 Jul 2009 11:00:00 PDT http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/156256.php http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/156256.php An advisory committee to the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) voted on Tuesday to recommend new restrictions on the popular pain relief drug acetaminophen (known in many other countries as paracetamol), which is found in many US top selling over the counter medications such as Tylenol, aspirin-free Anacin, Excedrin, and also in prescription drugs such as Vicodin and Percocet. Regulatory Affairs / Drug Approvals Thu, 02 Jul 2009 07:00:00 PDT http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/156162.php http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/156162.php Comparative-Effectiveness Research - Implications of the Federal Coordinating Council's Report Primary Care / General Practice Thu, 02 Jul 2009 06:00:00 PDT http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/156156.php http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/156156.php Two doctors with over 30 years of experience spoke with National Public Radio about how medicine has changed over their careers, and what they expect to see come out of the current health reform debate. Dr. Greg Darrow, a family physician from New Mexico who favors a single-payer system, said the demands of the business-side of his group practice often interfere with the quality of his care. Health Insurance / Medical Insurance Thu, 02 Jul 2009 05:00:00 PDT http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/156183.php http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/156183.php The NHS Chief Executive has recently warned that the NHS could have to make 'unprecedented' efficiency savings of up to £20 billion between 2011 and 2014. David Nicholson's Annual Report1 also emphasised that services should where possible move out of hospital to primary care and into the community, to allow both better quality and improved productivity. Primary Care / General Practice Thu, 02 Jul 2009 01:00:00 PDT http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/156074.php http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/156074.php The results of the first Welsh GP patient survey have been published recently. The survey, published on the Welsh Assembly Government website, shows that high numbers of patients in Wales are happy with the service and treatment they receive from their GPs. The survey looked at patients' experiences of making an appointment to see a GP or member of the primary care team. It was also used to obtain information on the general satisfaction of patients. Primary Care / General Practice Wed, 01 Jul 2009 05:00:00 PDT http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/155970.php http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/155970.php First Lady Michelle Obama visited a Washington, D.C. community health center Monday afternoon to announce the release of $851 million for the expansion and rehabilitation of clinics around the country, The New York Times reports. Public Health Wed, 01 Jul 2009 05:00:00 PDT http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/155975.php http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/155975.php "This year, 39 percent of doctors said they'd communicated with patients online, up from just 16 percent five years earlier, according to health-information firm Manhattan Research, a unit of Decision Resources Inc," the Wall Street Journal reports. Primary Care / General Practice Wed, 01 Jul 2009 03:00:00 PDT http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/155949.php http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/155949.php The Damon Runyon Cancer Research Foundation named 4 new Damon Runyon Clinical Investigators at its April 2009 Clinical Investigator Award Committee review. The recipients of this prestigious, three-year award are outstanding early career physician-scientists conducting patient-oriented cancer research at major research centers under the mentorship of the nation's leading scientists and clinicians. Each will receive $450,000 to support the development of his cancer research program. Cancer / Oncology Wed, 01 Jul 2009 03:00:00 PDT http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/155980.php http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/155980.php GPs and practice managers still face familiar barriers when it comes to making one of the government's flagship health policies a success, yet many remain optimistic that practice-based commissioning (PBC) can make a difference to patient care. This is one of the key findings of a small sample poll of GPs and other primary care professionals published today by The King's Fund and NHS Alliance. Primary Care / General Practice Wed, 01 Jul 2009 02:00:00 PDT http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/155934.php http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/155934.php Today Ipsos-MORI have published the results of the 2008-09 GP Patient Survey which they carried out on behalf of the Department of Health. Headline results of the survey are: - 70% of patients reported that they were either very satisfied or fairly satisfied with their ability to get through to their doctor's surgery on the phone. - 84% of patients who tried to get a quick appointment with a GP said they were able to do so within 48 hours. Primary Care / General Practice Wed, 01 Jul 2009 02:00:00 PDT http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/155940.php http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/155940.php Being given enough time with a GP and feeling that their problems are taken seriously are the most important factor in patients' satisfaction with their local surgery, according to new data out today. Primary Care / General Practice Wed, 01 Jul 2009 01:00:00 PDT http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/155905.php http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/155905.php Commenting on the publication of the results of a national patient access survey today (Tuesday, 30 June 2009) local general practitioners expressed anger that a survey which shows how well general practice is delivering care to patients has resulted in the expected loss of up to £2 million of funding for local GP services. For example, one practice in Northern Ireland with a list size of over 9,000 has lost all of its funding for patient access. Primary Care / General Practice Wed, 01 Jul 2009 00:00:00 PDT http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/155898.php http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/155898.php Improved communication among patients and primary care physicians increases the chances those due for colorectal cancer screening will follow their doctors' advice and complete the procedure, a University at Buffalo study has found. The research by principal investigator Thomas Feeley, Ph.D. Colorectal Cancer Tue, 30 Jun 2009 06:00:00 PDT http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/155793.php http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/155793.php NPR reports on a way to reduce national health care costs: "Getting doctors and hospitals in the parts of the country that spend the most on medical care now to bring that spending more in line with that of lower-spending regions." Researchers at The Dartmouth Atlas of Health Care "have found two key points. Health Insurance / Medical Insurance Tue, 30 Jun 2009 00:00:00 PDT http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/155729.php http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/155729.php The two leading bodies representing GPs in the UK have backed a call by the Wellcome Trust for clearer guidance for GPs to ensure medical records can be safely used in research. Patient records in general practice surgeries are a unique resource of information which can help medical researchers improve their understanding of disease, develop potential new treatments and improve patient care. IT / Internet / E-mail Mon, 29 Jun 2009 05:00:00 PDT http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/155701.php http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/155701.php Agreeing with the broad goals and most of the underlying policies contained in a comprehensive draft bill on health care reform legislation, the American College of Physicians (ACP) praised the House "tri-committee." Made up of the House Ways and Means, Energy and Commerce, and Education and Labor Committees, the "tri-committee" unveiled its proposed legislation on June 19. "We are pleased that the bill takes a comprehensive approach to reforming health care," said Joseph W. Primary Care / General Practice Mon, 29 Jun 2009 04:00:00 PDT http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/155607.php http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/155607.php The following summarizes selected women's health-related blog entries.~ "Another Abortion Case Developing," Lyle Denniston, SCOTUSblog: The decision by the full U.S. Women's Health / Gynecology Mon, 29 Jun 2009 02:00:00 PDT http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/155674.php http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/155674.php Draft proposals by the Productivity Commission designed to reduce the red tape burden on medical practices will benefit patients, the AMA said today. A Productivity Commission draft review into regulatory burdens on business recommends that the Government drop the requirement for doctors to seek approval from Medicare Australia to prescribe certain drugs under the Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme. Medical Practice Management Mon, 29 Jun 2009 00:00:00 PDT http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/155663.php http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/155663.php There is widespread confusion among women and doctors about the signs of ovarian cancer, said a UK charity behind a study being published today, Monday 29 June, at the House of Commons. The Target Ovarian Cancer Pathfinder study surveyed 400 UK general practitioners (GPs) and over 1,000 women, including 132 with ovarian cancer, and found 80 per cent of GPs were wrongly of the view that women have no symptoms in the early stages of ovarian cancer. Ovarian Cancer Fri, 26 Jun 2009 06:00:00 PDT http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/155471.php http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/155471.php The shortage in primary care doctors is causing older doctors to stay on the job while young ones opt for specialties.MSNBC reports: "There are not enough general care doctors to meet current needs, let alone the demands of some 46 million uninsured, who threaten to swamp the system. It's a problem growing worse ... where more aging doctors are finding they can't retire. In the U.S. Primary Care / General Practice Fri, 26 Jun 2009 06:00:00 PDT http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/155478.php http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/155478.php A Lifeline For Primary Care The New England Journal of Medicine Primary care in the United States needs a lifeline. In 2009, for the 12th straight year, the number of graduating U.S. medical students choosing primary care residencies reached dismally low levels (Bodenheimer, Grumbach and Berenson, 6/25). Primary Care / General Practice