Journal of general internal medicine
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National health reform is expected to increase how long individuals have to wait between requests for appointments and when their appointment is scheduled. The increase in demand for care due to more widespread insurance will result in longer waits if there is not also a concomitant increase in supply of healthcare services. Long waits for healthcare are hypothesized to compromise health because less frequent outpatient visits result in delays in diagnosis and treatment. ⋯ Further research is needed on the mechanisms connecting longer wait times and poorer outcomes including identifying patient sub-populations whose risks are most sensitive to delayed access to care. If wait times increase for the general patient population with the implementation of national reform as expected, U. S. healthcare policymakers and clinicians will need to consider policies and interventions that minimize potential harms for all patients.
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It is unclear if primary care physicians are following guidelines or using other patient characteristics and factors to determine when to perform spirometry in patients at risk for COPD. It is also unclear to what degree a diagnosis of COPD is accurately reflected by spirometry results. ⋯ Clinicians use spirometry more often among patients with symptoms suggestive of COPD but not more often among patients with current or past tobacco use. For patients who had a spirometry and a diagnosis of COPD, primary care physicians were accurate in their diagnosis only half of the time.
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Previous research has shown a socioeconomic status (SES) gradient in the receipt of cardiac services following acute myocardial infarction (AMI), but much less is known about SES and the use of secondary preventive medicines following AMI. ⋯ There were inequities in treatment following AMI in the form of a clear and often significant gradient between income and initiation of evidence-based pharmacologic therapies among male patients. This gradient persisted despite significant changes in coverage levels for the costs of these medicines.
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General internists need to take an active leadership position in the creation of accountable care organizations (ACOs). The basic idea behind ACOs is relatively simple. Physicians, hospitals, and other health care providers will continue to be paid fee-for-service by the Medicare program, but if they can work together to better manage people with chronic conditions, reduce avoidable complications, reduce unnecessary specialty referrals, and improve transfer of beneficiaries as they transition from one care provider to another; then there is the possibility of shared savings with the Medicare program. ⋯ They should be involved in identifying the patients that would benefit from better care management. They should identify changes in care processes and payment reforms that would improve the care for these patients. ACOs represent an opportunity for general internists to change the way medical care is delivered.
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For many high-risk patients, accessing primary care is challenged by competing needs and priorities, socioeconomics, and other circumstances. The resulting lack of treatment engagement makes these vulnerable patient populations susceptible to poor health outcomes and an over-reliance on emergency department-based care. ⋯ Tailoring the medical home model to the specific needs and challenges facing high-risk populations can increase primary care utilization and improve chronic disease monitoring and diabetes management. More work is needed in directing this care model to reducing emergency department and inpatient use.