Hearing loss is the second most common disability in the United States and comes with it a higher risk for being diagnosed with significant health conditions, such as hypertension, diabetes, dementia and depression, as well as higher health care cost and use. The Early Auditory Referral-Primary Care (EAR-PC) study was designed to address the lack…
Six Ways Primary Care “Medical Homes” Are Lowering Health Care Spending New analysis of 394 U.S. primary care practices identifies the aspects of care delivery that are associated with lower health care spending and lower utilization of emergency care and hospital admissions. Researchers from the Urban Institute and RTI International analyzed health care cost data…
Older Americans Who Are Black, Hispanic, or Medicaid-Eligible Are More Likely to Experience Preventable Hospitalizations When complications due to diabetes, asthma, urinary tract infections, high blood pressure and other common conditions lead patients to visit the ER, researchers and health care quality administrators may label these visits as “potentially preventable hospitalizations.” That is, with good…
Primary Care Teams Test New Tool to Prescribe Referrals for Community Health and Social Services Family physicians provide the majority of health care for underserved rural and urban populations in the U.S. and treat a more diverse population of patients than any other medical specialty. They have an important role to play in helping to…
Under-Insured Transgender Americans Turn to Riskier, Non-Licensed Sources for Gender-Affirming Hormones Transgender people who lack access to insurance coverage for gender-affirming hormone therapy are more likely to use hormones from sources other than a licensed prescriber, compared to those with insurance coverage. Analysis of the most recent United States Transgender Survey shows that about 9…
NEW YORK, NY (Nov. 10, 2020)–Researchers have identified a genetic signature in localized prostate cancer that can predict whether the cancer is likely to spread, or metastasize, early in the course of the disease and whether it will respond to anti-androgen therapy, a common treatment for advanced disease. The new gene signature may also be…
New Analysis Finds Lung Cancer Screening Reduces Rates of Lung Cancer-Specific Death Low-dose CT screening methods may prevent one death per 250 at-risk adults screened, according to a meta-analysis of eight randomized controlled clinical trials of lung cancer screening. Researchers at the University of Georgia analyzed the health outcomes of 90,275 patients, comparing those who…
Representation of Female Authors in Family Medicine Academic Journals is Trending Upward After decades of underrepresentation in medicine, women are now entering many specialties in the United States, including family medicine, at higher rates than men. Despite the rising proportion of female physicians in family medicine, they continue to be underrepresented in the highest levels…