MedWorm provides a medical RSS filtering service. Over 6000 RSS medical sources are combined and output via different filters. This feed contains the latest medical blog items that have been tagged with 'family physicians'. Sat, 03 Sep 2011 02:33:48 +0100 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4968486&cid=t_272245_87_f&fid=39187&url=http%3A%2F%2Fgetbetterhealth.com%2Fprimary-care-is-undervalued-what-should-be-done%2F2011.06.26 An article by Brian Klepper and Paul Fischer at Health Affairs has me all fired up. Finally these two health experts are calling it like it is. The Wall Street Journal, New York Times and EverythingHealth have written before about the way primary care is undervalued and underpayed in this country and how it is harming the health and economics of the United States. A secretive, specialist-dominated panel within the American Medical Association called the RUC has been valuing medical services for decades. They divvy up billions of Medicare and Medicaid dollars and all insurance payers base their reimbursement on these values also. The result has been gross overpayment of procedures and medical specialists and underpayment of doctors who practice primary care in internal medicine, family medi... Better Health blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4968486 Sun, 26 Jun 2011 16:00:00 +0100 4968486 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4450291&cid=t_272245_87_f&fid=39187&url=http%3A%2F%2Fgetbetterhealth.com%2Fear-infections-to-treat-or-not-to-treat%2F2011.02.08 Ear infections used to be a devastating problem. In 1932, acute otitis media (AOM) and its suppurative complications accounted for 27 percent of all pediatric admissions to Bellevue Hospital. Since the introduction of antibiotics, it has become a much less serious problem. For decades it was taken for granted that all children with AOM should be given antibiotics, not only to treat the disease itself but to prevent complications like mastoiditis and meningitis. In the 1980s, that consensus began to change. We realized that as many as 80 percent of uncomplicated ear infections resolve without treatment in three days. Many infections are caused by viruses that don’t respond to antibiotics. Overuse of antibiotics leads to the emergence of resistant strains of bacteria. Antibiotics cause ... Better Health blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4450291 Tue, 08 Feb 2011 22:00:44 +0100 4450291 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4394444&cid=t_272245_87_f&fid=39187&url=http%3A%2F%2Fgetbetterhealth.com%2Fwhy-the-end-of-internal-medicine-as-we-know-it-might-be-a-good-thing%2F2011.01.24 A recent post on the Health Affairs blog proclaimed “The End of Internal Medicine As We Know It.” What the post is really asking about is the future of primary care in the world of healthcare reform and the creation of accountable care organizations (ACOs). While doctors should be naturally concerned about change, I don’t completely agree with this article. ACOs are organizations that are integrated and accountable for the health and well-being of a patient and also have joint responsibilities on how to thoughtfully use a patient’s or employer’s health insurance premium, something that is sorely lacking in the current health care structure. These were recently created and defined in the healthcare reform bill. Yet the author seems to suggest that this is a s... Better Health blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4394444 Mon, 24 Jan 2011 20:00:00 +0100 4394444 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4281312&cid=t_272245_87_f&fid=39187&url=http%3A%2F%2Fgetbetterhealth.com%2Fhappiness-in-life-carrying-the-h-card%2F2010.12.22 The most moving speaker at the American Academy of Family Physicians (AAFP) convention I went to in Denver a few months ago was a doctor with Stage 4 cancer who had survived well past all expectations for his disease. While talking about achieving happiness through balance in life, he pulled out of his wallet a card made for him by his daughter, a preschool teacher. “This is the C card,” he told us. “It says: ‘I have cancer. I can do whatever I want.’” What a great idea, I thought. As much as it resonated with me, though, I couldn’t help but feel there was more to it than that. Recently I was comforting a dear friend who had lost her mother. Remembering this handout from the AAFP, I held her close and said: “You’re a mourner now. You can do whatever you want.” I might a... Better Health blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4281312 Wed, 22 Dec 2010 21:00:13 +0100 4281312 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4175695&cid=t_272245_87_f&fid=39187&url=http%3A%2F%2Fgetbetterhealth.com%2Fprimary-care-poverty-and-mortality-in-england-and-america%2F2010.11.17 It is an article of faith that, in Barbara Starfield’s words, adults whose regular source of care is a primary care physician rather than a specialist have lower mortality, even after accounting for differences in income, and she draws upon studies at both the county and state levels to prove it. Now a new paper in JAMA about England’s Primary Care Trusts refocuses the discussion on poverty. While Starfield’s county-level studies are often cited as evidence that more primary care physicians and fewer specialists lead to lower mortality, they actually showed virtually no differences at all. And when repeated by Ricketts, the small differences noted were not consistent throughout various regions of the U.S. On the other hand, “counties with high income-inequality experienced much hig... Better Health blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4175695 Wed, 17 Nov 2010 17:00:23 +0100 4175695 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4065366&cid=t_272245_87_f&fid=39187&url=http%3A%2F%2Fgetbetterhealth.com%2Fvideo-we-are-family-physicians%2F2010.10.13 This video was [recently] shown at the 2010 American Academy of Family Physicians annual meeting in Denver. The theme is simple: “We are here. We are listening. We are healing. We are family physicians.” People ask me all the time “what do you do?” There’s no easy way to explain all the things that I do as a family physician. In addition, each family doc in each community is unique. That’s kind of part of the difficulty of answering the question. But I believe this video does a good job of trying to encapsulate who we are as family physicians: *This blog post was originally published at Doctor Anonymous* (Source: Better Health) Better Health blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4065366 Wed, 13 Oct 2010 19:00:00 +0100 4065366 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4036645&cid=t_272245_87_f&fid=39187&url=http%3A%2F%2Fgetbetterhealth.com%2Faafps-2011-family-physician-of-the-year%2F2010.10.06 This video was recorded at the American Academy of Family Physicians (AAFP) meeting in Denver last week. Hughes Melton, M.D., was awarded the “2011 Family Physician of the Year” award. The video below shares his story. I also encourage you to read more of his story from the news article on the AAFP website. I have always been inspired by hearing the stories of the “Family Physician of the Year.” One of my wild and crazy dreams is to achieve this award someday, but I know that I definitely have a long way to go. Congratulations, Dr. Melton! *This blog post was originally published at Doctor Anonymous* (Source: Better Health) Better Health blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4036645 Wed, 06 Oct 2010 19:00:00 +0100 4036645 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3943025&cid=t_272245_150_f&fid=35777&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FPharmalot%2F%7E3%2FciVEK-I929s%2F Last December, the Senate Finance Committee’s Chuck Grassley sent letters 33 medical advocay groups, including the American Medical Association, the American Cancer Society, the American Heart Association and American Academy of Family Physicians for details about the money they and their board members received from drug and device makers (background here). The move came several months after Grassley and his staffers discovered that the National Alliance on Mental Illness received sizeable pharma donations while also conducting lobbying efforts with drug makers and pushing legislation that benefits these companies. Since then, NAMI has posted that sort of info on its web site (look here). But what about the others? Well, The Chronicle of Philanthropy has done an update by checking in wit... Pharmalot blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3943025 Tue, 07 Sep 2010 15:14:41 +0100 3943025 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3524051&cid=t_272245_85_f&fid=39183&url=http%3A%2F%2Fdrbobbs.wordpress.com%2F2009%2F11%2F11%2Fstill-more-aafp-coca-cola-fallout%2F There is now a Facebook page entitled End the AAFP and Coca Cola Collaboration. From the Associated Press: Family doctors group loses members over Coke deal. And there’s an online petition: Family Doctors Against the AAFP-Coca-Cola Partnership. (Source: Dr. Bobbs) Dr. Bobbs blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3524051 Wed, 11 Nov 2009 05:29:00 +0100 3524051 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3524054&cid=t_272245_85_f&fid=39183&url=http%3A%2F%2Fdrbobbs.wordpress.com%2F2009%2F11%2F03%2Fthe-pause-that-refreshes%2F The American Academy of Family Physicians (AAFP) continues to be the target of criticism in both the blogosphere and conventional media outlets for its partnership with the Coca-Cola company. From The Kansas City Star: [T]he American Academy of Family Physicians…represents about 94,000 doctors who struggle to get their patients to shed excess pounds. From across [...] (Source: Dr. Bobbs) Dr. Bobbs blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3524054 Wed, 04 Nov 2009 04:43:24 +0100 3524054 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3524060&cid=t_272245_85_f&fid=39183&url=http%3A%2F%2Fdrbobbs.wordpress.com%2F2009%2F10%2F09%2Fid-like-to-buy-the-world-a-coke%2F So, any reaction to that AAFP/Coca-Cola deal? The Skeptical OB says Family docs: Have a Coke and a bribe! The Radical Clarity Group says In one stroke, AAFP has indicated that it can be bought. The Newbie Vegetarian likens the deal to the sale of the AAFP’s soul. On a practical level, the money the [...] (Source: Dr. Bobbs) Dr. Bobbs blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3524060 Fri, 09 Oct 2009 05:05:22 +0100 3524060 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2670890&cid=t_272245_109_f&fid=34750&url=http%3A%2F%2Fpsychcentral.com%2Fblog%2Farchives%2F2009%2F08%2F04%2Fantidepressant-use-up-psychotherapy-use-down%2F A new study we reported on yesterday shows that over a nearly ten year period from 1996 to 2005, antidepressant use went up 75 percent (if going by the researcher’s percentages, not “doubled” as many mainstream news organizations are reporting), while psychotherapy use decreased. How much did psychotherapy use decrease? Over 35% in the same time period, amongst those who were being treated with an antidepressant. While that’s an astonishing statistic in itself, it comes with a few disclaimers. Antidepressants are, by far, the most prescribed psychiatric medication in society today. And the vast majority of those prescriptions (more than 80 percent) are made by general practitioners — not psychiatrists. That’s important to note, because while a psychiatr... World of Psychology blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2670890 Tue, 04 Aug 2009 17:45:55 +0100 2670890 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2258361&cid=t_272245_113_f&fid=34621&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FHealthcareGuy%2F%7E3%2FOyclg7RCyvI%2F492 This article focuses on the first two of these. Physical Interoperability What is interesting about the physical transport of critical information is that people outside of healthcare probably think that our industry is dominated by the electronic data transactions. I am not sure that is the case. One example of this is prescriptions. According to NACDS, of the 3.5 million prescriptions filed in 2007, only 2.1% were processed via electronic messaging. Keep in mind that the medication prescription area is one of the most advanced, in terms of electronic messaging, in healthcare. So, today, when we talk about physical interoperability, we are talking about transport mechanisms that include ‘sneaker-net’, faxing, file transfers as well as pure electronic processing. This works today becau... The Healthcare IT Guy blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2258361 Mon, 09 Mar 2009 01:55:12 +0100 2258361 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2240786&cid=t_272245_113_f&fid=34621&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FHealthcareGuy%2F%7E3%2FLoYGpik98o4%2F485 This article is the first in a series about the challenges of clinical interoperability in healthcare. The first thing we need to do is ask the question “What is clinical interoperability?” The Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers or IEEE defines the term interoperability as follows: The ability of two or more systems or components to exchange information and to use the information that has been exchanged. I like this definition because it is short and sweet, but to truly understand interoperability, we need to go a little further. The first thing we need to do is add that clinical interoperability is about exchanging a specific type of information.  It is about exchanging clinical information about a patient that allows our ‘partner’ to leverage what we alread... The Healthcare IT Guy blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2240786 Tue, 24 Feb 2009 12:55:37 +0100 2240786 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1300630&cid=t_272245_150_f&fid=35777&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeeds.feedburner.com%2F%7Er%2FPharmalot%2F%7E3%2F250708914%2F Two months ago, the Oregon Academy of Family Physicians became only the second state chapter in the national Academy of Family Physicians to adopt a policy of eschewing financial support from pharma. As a result, the 1,300-member group no longer accepts any grants - restricted or unrestricted - for its continuing ed seminars or allows drugmakers to take booths in its exhibit hall during conferences. And there are no pharma ads in its publication. Of course, this may prove to be a financial risk. Who wants their dues to rise, after all? So we asked executive director Kelly Gonzales to tell us how the move has, so far, been received… Pharmalot: Why did your organization take this step? Gonzales: It was a little bit of wanting the academy to walk our own talk. We’d like our member... Pharmalot blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1300630 Thu, 13 Mar 2008 11:58:20 +0100 1300630