Journal of general internal medicine
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Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is among the most common medical diagnoses among Veterans. More than 50% of Veterans diagnosed with mild-to-moderate COPD are prescribed inhaled corticosteroids despite recommendations for use restricted to patients with frequent exacerbations. ⋯ Inhaled corticosteroid prescribing in this patient population is partly due to primary care providers' lack of knowledge about the potential harms and availability of alternative therapies. Our findings suggest that efforts to expand access by increasing the number of prescribing providers a patient potentially sees could make it more difficult to de-implement harmful prescriptions. Our findings also corroborate prior findings that awareness of current evidence-based guidelines is likely an important part of medical overuse.
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Patients are asking health care providers about e-cigarettes, vaping, and other electronic nicotine delivery systems (ENDS). Provider advice on ENDS has varied greatly, suggesting a need for evidence-based continuing medical education (CME). ⋯ Addressing the growing need for balanced provider education on ENDS, this interactive online CME engaged learners and increased knowledge on devices and evidence-based cessation approaches.
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Premature mortality observed among the mentally ill is largely attributable to chronic illnesses. Veterans seen within Veterans Affairs (VA) have a higher prevalence of mental illness than the general population but there is limited investigation into the common causes of death of Veterans with mental illnesses. ⋯ Veterans with mental illnesses, particularly those with SUD, and those with multiple diagnoses, had shorter life expectancy than those without a mental illness. Future studies should examine both patient and systemic sources of disparities in providing chronic illness care to Veterans with a mental illness.
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Primary care providers encounter a large proportion of the population with depression. Yet, many primary care patients with depression remain undiagnosed and untreated. ⋯ Physicians appear to use depression screening selectively based on patients' presenting symptoms. Higher screening rates were associated with higher odds of depression diagnosis and treatment, and even modest increases in screening rates could meaningfully increase population-level rates of depression identification and treatment in primary care. Future research is needed to identify barriers to depression care and implement systematic interventions to improve services and patient outcomes.
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To describe how access to primary and specialty care differs for Medicaid patients relative to commercially insured patients, and how these differences vary across rural and urban counties, using comprehensive claims data from Oregon. ⋯ This cross-sectional study found lower rates of access to primary care physicians for Medicaid enrollees, but Medicaid-commercial differences in access rates were not present across all provider types and displayed substantial variability across counties. Policies that address rural-urban differences as well as Medicaid-commercial differences-such as expansions of telemedicine or changes in the workforce mix-may have the largest impact on improving access to care across a wide range of populations.