Disparities in Vision Testing for Adolescents
Decreased vision testing in primary care and in school settings drove an age-related overall decline in vision testing among adolescents, a review of national data showed. Data from 2018-2019 showed that three-fourths of adolescents had a vision test in some setting within the previous 12 months, though testing decreased with age (1.3% per year of […]
Primary Care Intervention Improved Follow-Up of Abnormal Cancer Screening Results
A multilevel primary care intervention that included automated electronic health record (EHR) reminders and patient outreach/navigation improved timely follow-up of overdue abnormal cancer screening test results, a cluster randomized trial showed. Among nearly 12,000 patients with an abnormal screening test result for colorectal, cervical, breast, or lung cancer, completion of follow-up testing within 120 days […]
Ron DeSantis Flailed When Fox News Asked Why So Many Floridians Are Uninsured
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis speaks Wednesday during the Republican presidential primary debate hosted by Fox Business Network and Univision at the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library in Simi Valley, California. Mark J. Terrill/Associated Press There was a genuine milestone in Wednesday night’s Republican presidential debate: Somebody finally asked Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis why so many of […]
Less Velopharyngeal Insufficiency at Age 5 With Earlier Cleft Palate Surgery
Fewer infants with isolated cleft palate who had primary surgery to close it at age 6 months had insufficient closure between their velum and pharyngeal walls later in childhood than infants who had surgery at 12 months, the TOPS clinical trial found. Among 558 infants in Europe and South America, 8.9% in the 6-month surgery […]
How Far Would the GOP Presidential Candidates Go to End Abortion?
Discussion on abortion is certain to capture voters’ attention at the first Republican primary debate for the 2024 presidential election, to be held in Milwaukee on Wednesday. After the Supreme Court struck down Roe v. Wade last summer, the decision over the legality of abortion was left to states to decide, and conservative-led states rapidly […]
Statin Reduced Risk of Heart Disease in People With HIV
BRISBANE, Australia — The cholesterol-lowering agent pitavastatin (Livalo) as primary prevention reduced the risk of major adverse cardiovascular events (MACE) among people living with HIV, the randomized REPRIEVE trial showed. Over a median follow-up of about 5 years, incidence of any MACE was 35% lower in the pitavastatin group compared with a placebo group, at […]
Opinion | There’s No Anki Card for Empathy
Hucko is an MD/MPH student. *Patient’s name has been changed As a medical student on my primary care rotation, I reviewed my next patient’s medical records. Ms. Jones* was a 47-year-old female with a past medical history of breast cancer. Upon entering the room, she appeared nervous and tense, and, unsurprisingly, was picking at her […]
Surgery No Help for the Kidneys in Older Folks With Primary Hyperparathyroidism
Parathyroidectomy within the first year after a primary hyperparathyroidism (PHPT) diagnosis wasn’t much help for preserving kidney function in older adults, an observational study suggested. Looking at over 43,000 patients with PHPT, there was no difference in the risk for estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) decline between patients managed surgically with early parathyroidectomy compared with […]
Want to Fix Medicare Pay for Primary Care Docs? How About Two Fee Schedules?
How can Medicare payments to primary care doctors be fixed? Hoangmai Pham, MD, MPH, former official at the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) during the Obama administration, has a few ideas. How about two separate fee schedules? “Rather than insisting that CMS govern fees for all physician services in one fee schedule, set […]
Bempedoic Acid Proves Clinical Benefits for the Statin-Intolerant
NEW ORLEANS — Bempedoic acid (Nexletol) provided compelling clinical benefit in terms of primary and secondary cardiovascular prevention for statin-intolerant patients who need cholesterol lowering, according to the CLEAR Outcomes trial. Cementing its place in the arsenal of nonstatin therapies, the ATP citrate lyase inhibitor met the primary endpoint in reducing major adverse cardiovascular events […]