Journal of general internal medicine
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As more states legalize cannabis for medical use, people increasingly use cannabis to treat medical conditions. Well-documented harms of cannabis use include increased risk of fatal auto accidents, neurocognitive deficits, and increased risk of addiction. Observational data supports the use of cannabis for pain, nausea and vomiting related to chemotherapy, and multiple sclerosis spasticity symptoms. ⋯ We discuss the commercialization of cannabis for financial gain, contributing to potent and addictive cannabis. We highlight the concerning phenomena of cannabis dispensary workers as proxy clinicians. Finally, we present three strategies to reduce public harms associated with potent cannabis use including required testing and reporting of tetrahydrocannabinol/cannabidiol concentrations, rigorous study of high-potency cannabis available for purchase in dispensaries across the USA, and large-scale efforts to measure cannabis consumption in medical records so prospective, longitudinal studies can be conducted to correlate consumption measures with medical and psychiatric outcomes.
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Observational Study
Association Between HEDIS Performance and Primary Care Physician Age, Group Affiliation, Training, and Participation in ACA Exchanges.
There are a limited number of studies investigating the relationship between primary care physician (PCP) characteristics and the quality of care they deliver. ⋯ The associations between population-based care performance measures and PCP age, solo versus group affiliation, training, and participation in ACA exchanges, while statistically significant in some cases, were small. Understanding how to help older PCPs excel equally well in group practice compared with younger PCPs may be a fruitful avenue of future research.
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Insurance-based denials are common barriers for transgender and non-binary individuals in accessing medically necessary gender-affirming care. Little is known about how experiences of transgender-related insurance denials may vary by insurance type. ⋯ Researchers and practitioners must consider the link between type of insurance coverage and experiences with different forms of transgender-related insurance denial. These results provide continuing support for broad non-discrimination policy efforts, but also direct our attention to targeted insurance policy interventions by form of denial, which can promote equitable access for transgender and non-binary people across all healthcare needs.