Editor's Note In a series of interviews with STAT, 11 cardiologists and other clinicians, including the FDA commissioner, said a crisis in primary care is dragging back progress in the nation’s cardiovascular health. Published October 15, the article begins with commentary on a stark warning from the American Heart Association…
Editor's Note The gap between demand and supply could result in a shortage of 13,500 to 86,000 physicians by 2036, according to updated projections published March 21 by the Association of American Medical Colleges (AAMC). Although these figures are smaller than projections in the last report, published in 2021, they…
Editor's Note Research shows that Americans who live in areas with a limited number of primary care doctors and nurse practitioners are at a greater risk for emergency surgeries and complications. The findings were published March 4 in the journal Health Affairs. For the study, researchers looked at Medicare patient…
Editor's Note A new study finds that both primary care physicians (PCPs) and nurse practitioners (NPs) inappropriately prescribe medications to older patients at the same rate, the Annals of Internal Medicine October 24 reports. The research is titled "Inappropriate Prescribing to Older Patients by Nurse Practitioners and Primary Care Physicians." …
Editor's Note Patient outreach efforts, including a reminder in the electronic health record (EHR) following an abnormal cancer screening, helped to ensure timely follow-up, a new investigative study in JAMA Network reports. This cluster randomized clinical trial, titled "A multilevel primary care intervention to improve follow-up of overdue abnormal cancer…
Editor's Note A recent study of Medicare beneficiaries found that patients hospitalized for an emergency general surgery (EGS) condition who had primary care follow-up within 30 days of discharge had much lower readmission rates. The investigative findings were published on September 27 in JAMA Surgery. Some highlights include: Patients who…