Not On the FAQ
I’ve written the first two parts of a three-part column about unintended consequences. Part one described why discounts demanded from insurers for front-line services (e.g. office visits) create challenges for independent primary care practices that don’t have other sources of revenue, particularly revenue from procedures. Part two explained why physicians employed by health systems are […] (Source: Suboxone Talk Zone)
Source: Suboxone Talk Zone - September 16, 2013 Category: Addiction Authors: J T Junig Tags: Addiction Buprenorphine Methadone Public policy Suboxone addiction treatment affordable care act Medicaid medicaid coverage of buprenorphine obamacare Source Type: blogs
Dementia Patients More Likely to Suffer from Urinary or Fecal Incontinence
Patients with a diagnosis of dementia have approximately three times the rate of diagnosis of urinary incontinence, and more than four times the rate of fecal incontinence, compared to those without a diagnosis of dementia.
+Alzheimer's Reading Room
One of the things that Alzheimer's caretakers must understand is that urinary incontinence leads to urinary tract infections (UTI). UTIs in persons living with dementia often lead to difficult, challenging, or "heartbreaking" behavior.
Some assume that challenging and difficult behavior are a part of Alzheimer's disease. This is not true in the vast majority of cases. N...
Source: Alzheimer's Reading Room, The - August 29, 2013 Category: Dementia Authors: Bob DeMarco Source Type: blogs
The primary care debate requires defining terms
Any debate requires a careful definition of terms. How can we converse if our words are vague or misunderstood. This wonderful paragraph makes the concept clear.
“If you wish to converse with me,” said Voltaire, “define your terms.” How many a debate would have been deflated into a paragraph if the disputants had dared to define their terms! This is the alpha and omega of logic, the heart and soul of it, that every important term in serious discourse shall be subjected to the strictest scrutiny and definition. It is difficult, and ruthlessly tests the mind; but once done it is half of any task. Will Durant, The...
Source: DB's Medical Rants - June 30, 2013 Category: Health Medicine and Bioethics Commentators Authors: rcentor Tags: Medical Rants Source Type: blogs
Patient-Centered Medical Home Among Small Urban Practices Serving Low-Income and Disadvantaged Patients
Practices tended to use few
formal mechanisms, such as formal care teams and designated care or case managers, but there was considerable evidence of
use of informal team-based care and care coordination nonetheless. It appears that many of these practices achieved the spirit,
if not the letter, of the law in terms of key dimensions of PCMH.
via www.annfammed.org
One bit of good news about the Patient Centered Medical Home (PCMH) model: here is a study showing that in spite of considerable challenges to PCMH implementation, the transformations i...
Source: FutureHIT - Speculations on the Future of Health IT - June 7, 2013 Category: Technology Consultants Authors: Hunscher Source Type: blogs
Mental Health Resources
Suicide Prevention Toolkit for Rural Primary Care
Suicide Prevention Resource Center – Contains information and tools to implement state-of-the art suicide prevention practices and overcome the significant hurdles this life-saving work faces in primary care practices. Available here: http://bit.ly/17rBCgc
Telemental Health Guide
Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration – A program of activities developed by the University of Colorado Denver to eliminate mental health disparities in the United States. Available here: http://bit.ly/15Evu01
SAMHSA: New toolkit released: Behavi...
Source: BHIC - June 6, 2013 Category: Databases & Libraries Authors: Monica Rogers Tags: Mental Health Websites Source Type: blogs
Physical activity: brief advice for adults in primary care
This guidance aims to support routine provision of brief advice on
physical activity in primary care practice. The recommendations include:
identifying adults who are inactive; delivering and following up on
brief advice; and incorporating advice in commissioning. It is aimed at
commissioners of health services and anyone working in primary care
whose remit includes offering lifestyle advice.
Guidance
Physical activity pathway
NICE - publications (Source: Health Management Specialist Library)
Source: Health Management Specialist Library - May 30, 2013 Category: UK Health Authors: The King's Fund Information & Library Service Tags: Developments in primary and community care Local authorities, public health and health inequalities Quality of care and clinical outcomes Source Type: blogs
In Which I Respond To A Faithful Reader
Below find excerpts of an email sent by a faithful reader. I have included the whole text, but broken it down to respond to each point accordingly.
I have really enjoyed your blog postings and the sensitivity you showed toward patients. But, your new venture is a real turn off, and makes it hard for me to want to read your posts anymore.
I have been waiting for this. Expecting it. I knew that when I changed my practice model there would be anger and disappointment. For this reason, I have gone to the trouble of telling each patient face to face in the office when they come in for an app...
Source: In My Humble Opinion - May 16, 2013 Category: Family Physicians Authors: Jordan Grumet Source Type: blogs
Angie’s List lightens my day
It’s been a heavy week here in Boston, but I just got an email from Angie’s List that made me chuckle. I signed up for Angie’s List earlier this month to have a look at the state of online physician reviews. (Still pretty primitive as I reported, and Angie’s List reviews are particularly disappointing especially since they cost money to subscribe to.)
The email said:
“Greetings from Angie’s List. Below is a list of your recent searches. Do you have any questions or need further assistance? If so, just reply to this email and we’ll be happy to help you out.”
The message then l...
Source: Health Business Blog - April 18, 2013 Category: Health Managers Authors: David E. Williams of the Health business blog Tags: Announcements Source Type: blogs
Taking nurses beyond the basics
by Alicia Caramenico, FierceHealthcare
Nurses across the United States are throwing their support behind state legislation that would allow nonphysician providers to practice independently of physicians, thereby helping fill voids left by the physician shortage.
In fact, thanks to some broader mandates proposed around the country, tens of thousands of nurses could run their own primary care practices, according to The Washington Post. About 6,000 nurses operate independent primary care practices.
With the scope of practice expanding and the number of nurse-run practices growing, pressure is mounting for the U.S. healthc...
Source: hospital impact - April 12, 2013 Category: Health Managers Authors: Wendy Johnson Source Type: blogs
Robert Wood Johnson Foundation’s Anne Weiss on reducing hospital readmissions (transcript)
This study is not designed to tell us about the practice patterns in these areas. We looked strictly at admissions and post-acute care. We do know that there are a lot of different reasons behind this kind of variation. You could see differences in the underlying health status of the patients. You can see differences in the quality of hospital care including discharge planning. You can see best and worst practices in care coordination. And this is really important; you can see a lot of differences in the availability of primary care locally and the availability of hospital beds.
We know that the Dartmouth Atlas has already...
Source: Health Business Blog - February 28, 2013 Category: Health Managers Authors: David E. Williams of the Health business blog Tags: Hospitals Patients Podcast Research Source Type: blogs
Robert Wood Johnson Foundation’s Anne Weiss on reducing hospital readmissions (podcast)
The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation (RWJF) recently released The Revolving Door: A Report on US Hospital Readmissions. It uses data from the Dartmouth Atlas project to show that many Medicare patients are readmitted to the hospital after being discharged. The report also includes results from interviews with patients and providers to provide insights into how to reduce avoidable readmissions. It’s all part of Care About Your Care, which is designed to improve care transitions and reduce readmissions.
The report has generated a good deal of press interest, so I decided to delve a bit deeper in this interview with Ann...
Source: Health Business Blog - February 25, 2013 Category: Health Managers Authors: David E. Williams of the Health business blogDavid E. Williams Tags: Hospitals Patients Podcast Research Source Type: blogs
Typical Electronic Health Record Use in Primary Care Practices and the Quality of Diabetes Care: don't count your chickens
From the Annals of Family Medicine May/June 2012: (Source: Ideal Medical Practices)
Source: Ideal Medical Practices - May 28, 2012 Category: Primary Care Authors: L Gordon Moore Source Type: blogs
Crossover Health: Welcome to Next Generation Health Care!
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Crossover Health Launches New Model of Primary Care in South Orange County
Innovative membership service delivers Urgent, Primary, and Online Care
Aliso Viejo, CA (PRWEB) October 1, 2010
Crossover Health Medical Group announced today the launch of their flagship membership-based, primary care practice in Aliso Viejo, California. The new clinic will offer urgent, primary, and online care services directly to individual members, families, and employer groups. Membership based health care is a new health care finance and delivery innovation that has gained widespread popularity as the cost of health...
Source: Crossover Healthcare - October 1, 2010 Category: Technology Consultants Authors: scott Tags: Change Agents Crossover Design Direct Practice Entrepreneurship Innovation Launch Medical Home Membership Primary Care Quality Value Source Type: blogs
Does putting an EMR into a primary care practice make life hell for a year?
A friend of mine sent me this link –“Beware of the EMR ‘Ponzi scheme,’ warns physician leader” — earlier this week. The article starts off by saying:
Healthcare IT does not necessarily make life easier for primary care physicians, says a leader in the movement to make medicine more efficient and patient-centered.“When you put an EMR into a primary care practice, your life is hell for the next year,” said L. (Source: The Healthcare IT Guy)
Source: The Healthcare IT Guy - September 28, 2008 Category: Information Technology Source Type: blogs
