Implementation of a Web-Based Communication System for Primary Care Providers and Cancer Specialists.

Healthcare providers have reported challenges with coordinating care for patients with cancer. Digital technology tools have brought new possibilities for improving care coordination. A web- and text-based asynchronous system (eOncoNote) was implemented in Ottawa, Canada for cancer specialists and primary care providers (PCPs). This study aimed to examine PCPs' experiences of implementing eOncoNote and how access to the system influenced communication between PCPs and cancer specialists. As part of a larger study, we collected and analyzed system usage data and administered an end-of-discussion survey to understand the perceived value of using eOncoNote. eOncoNote data were analyzed for 76 shared patients (33 patients receiving treatment and 43 patients in the survivorship phase). Thirty-nine percent of the PCPs responded to the cancer specialist's initial eOncoNote message and nearly all of those sent only one message. Forty-five percent of the PCPs completed the survey. Most PCPs reported no additional benefits of using eOncoNote and emphasized the need for electronic medical record (EMR) integration. Over half of the PCPs indicated that eOncoNote could be a helpful service if they had questions about a patient. Future research should examine opportunities for EMR integration and whether additional interventions could support communication between PCPs and cancer specialists.

Physician Specialties Involved in Thyroid Cancer Diagnosis and Treatment: Implications for Improving Health Care Disparities.

CONTEXT: Little is known about provider specialties involved in thyroid cancer diagnosis and management. OBJECTIVE: Characterize providers involved in diagnosing and treating thyroid cancer. DESIGN/SETTING/PARTICIPANTS: We surveyed patients with differentiated thyroid cancer from the Georgia and Los Angeles County Surveillance, Epidemiology and End Results registries (N = 2632, 63% response rate). Patients identified their primary care physicians (PCPs), who were also surveyed (N = 162, 56% response rate). MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: (1) Patient-reported provider involvement (endocrinologist, surgeon, PCP) at diagnosis and treatment; (2) PCP-reported involvement (more vs less) and comfort (more vs less) with discussing diagnosis and treatment. RESULTS: Among thyroid cancer patients, 40.6% reported being informed of their diagnosis by their surgeon, 37.9% by their endocrinologist, and 13.5% by their PCP. Patients reported discussing their treatment with their surgeon (71.7%), endocrinologist (69.6%), and PCP (33.3%). Physician specialty involvement in diagnosis and treatment varied by patient race/ethnicity and age. For example, Hispanic patients (vs non-Hispanic White) were more likely to report their PCP informed them of their diagnosis (odds ratio [OR]: 1.68; 95% CI, 1.24-2.27). Patients ≥65 years (vs <45 years) were more likely to discuss treatment with their PCP (OR: 1.59; 95% CI, 1.22-2.08). Although 74% of PCPs reported discussing their patients' diagnosis and 62% their treatment, only 66% and 48%, respectively, were comfortable doing so. CONCLUSIONS: PCPs were involved in thyroid cancer diagnosis and treatment, and their involvement was greater among older patients and patients of minority race/ethnicity. This suggests an opportunity to leverage PCP involvement in thyroid cancer management to improve health and quality of care outcomes for vulnerable patients.

L'influence des prestations des médecins à la première ligne de soins sur le système intégré de district sanitaire à Kisangani, République Démocratique du Congo: une étude qualitative.

INTRODUCTION: in the DRC, doctors, formerly absent, are increasingly being employed as primary care physicians, in particular but not exclusively in urban areas. This study describes and analyses the impact of primary care physician services on the integrated district health system in Kisangani, DRC. METHODS: in the third quarter of 2018, we conducted 40 semi-structured interviews of health district stakeholders (population, nurses, doctors, managers) selected in a reasoned way. Questions focused on doctors' motivation, their package of activities and the perceptions of other district stakeholders on their front-line services. Data were analysed using the thematic content analysis. RESULTS: the services of primary care physicians were a de facto but they were unplanned and unsupported. This derived largely from doctors' need for professional integration. This seemed to improve treatment acceptability but limited their financial accessibility. It was associated with an uncontrolled expansion of the activity packages and caused competition between first-line and second-line physicians. CONCLUSION: physician services are a challenge and an opportunity to strengthen first-line care while preserving complementarity with second-line care. A (re)definition of first-line physicians' role and activity package is then required. Hence, the need to improve the dialogue between different health system actors in order to (re)define consensually a model of first-line care adapted to match physicians' needs.

"In my age, we didn't have the computers": Using a complexity lens to understand uptake of diabetes eHealth innovations into primary care-A qualitative study.

BACKGROUND: Shared decision-making is a central component of person-centred care and can be facilitated with the use of patient decision aids (PtDA). Barriers and facilitators to shared decision-making and PtDA use have been identified, yet integration of PtDAs into clinical care is limited. We sought to understand why, using the concepts of complexity science. METHODS: We conducted 60-minute in-depth interviews with patients with diabetes, primary care physicians, nurses and dietitians who had participated in a randomized controlled trial examining the impact of MyDiabetesPlan (an online goal-setting PtDA). Relying on a qualitative description approach, we used a semi-structured interview guide to explore participants' experiences with using MyDiabetesPlan and how it was integrated into the clinical encounter and clinical care. Audiotapes were transcribed verbatim, then coded independently by two analysts. FINDINGS: 17 interviews were conducted (5 physicians, 3 nurses, 2 dietitians, 7 patients). Two themes were developed: (1) MyDiabetesPlan appeared to empower patients by providing tailored patient-important information which engaged them in decision-making and self-care. Patients' use of MyDiabetesPlan was however impacted by their competing medical conditions, other life priorities and socioeconomic context. (2) MyDiabetesPlan emphasized to clinicians a patient-centred approach that helped patients assume greater ownership for their care. Clinicians' use of MyDiabetesPlan was impacted by pre-existing clinical tools/workplans, workflow, technical issues, clinic administrative logistics and support, and time. How clinicians adapted to these barriers influenced the degree to which MyDiabetesPlan was integrated into care. CONCLUSIONS: A complexity lens (that considers relationships between multiple components of a complex system) may yield additional insights to optimize integration of PtDA into clinical care. A complexity lens recognizes that shared decision-making does not occur in the vacuum of a clinical dyad (patient and clinician), and will enable us to develop a family of interventions that address the whole process, rather than individual components. TRIAL REGISTRATION: ClinicalTrials.gov NCT02379078.

Effect of Antibiotic-Prescribing Feedback to High-Volume Primary Care Physicians on Number of Antibiotic Prescriptions: A Randomized Clinical Trial.

Importance: Antibiotic overuse contributes to adverse drug effects, increased costs, and antimicrobial resistance. Objective: To evaluate peer-comparison audit and feedback to high-prescribing primary care physicians (PCPs) and assess the effect of targeted messaging on avoiding unnecessary antibiotic prescriptions and avoiding long-duration prescribing. Design, Setting, and Participants: In this 3-arm randomized clinical trial, administrative data collected from IQVIA's Xponent database were used to recruit the highest quartile of antibiotic-prescribing PCPs (n = 3500) in Ontario, Canada. Interventions: Physicians were randomized 3:3:1 to receive a mailed letter sent in December 2018 addressing antibiotic treatment initiation (n = 1500), a letter addressing prescribing duration (n = 1500), or no letter (control; n = 500). Outliers at the 99th percentile at baseline for each arm were excluded from analysis. Main Outcomes and Measures: The primary outcome was total number of antibiotic prescriptions over 12 months postintervention. Secondary outcomes were number of prolonged-duration prescriptions (>7 days) and antibiotic drug costs (in Canadian dollars). Robust Poisson regression controlling for baseline prescriptions was used for analysis. Results: Of the 3465 PCPs included in analysis, 2405 (69.4%) were male, and 2116 (61.1%) were 25 or more years from their medical graduation. At baseline, PCPs receiving the antibiotic initiation letter and duration letter prescribed an average of 988 and 1000 antibiotic prescriptions, respectively; at 12 months postintervention, these PCPs prescribed an average of 849 and 851 antibiotic prescriptions, respectively. For the primary outcome of total antibiotic prescriptions 12 months postintervention, there was no statistically significant difference in total antibiotic use between PCPs who received the initiation letter compared with controls (relative risk [RR], 0.96; 97.5% CI, 0.92-1.01; P = .06) and a small statistically significant difference for the duration letter compared with controls (RR, 0.95; 97.5% CI, 0.91-1.00; P = .01). For PCPs receiving the duration letter, this corresponds to an average of 42 fewer antibiotic prescriptions over 12 months. There was no statistically significant difference between the letter arms. For the initiation letter, compared with controls there was an RR of 0.98 (97.5% CI, 0.93-1.03; P = .42) and 0.97 (97.5% CI, 0.92-1.02; P = .19) for the outcomes of prolonged-duration prescriptions and antibiotic drug costs, respectively. At baseline, PCPs who received the duration letter prescribed an average of 332 prolonged-duration prescriptions with $14 470 in drug costs. There was an 8.1% relative reduction (RR, 0.92; 97.5% CI, 0.87-0.97; P < .001) in prolonged-duration prescriptions, and a 6.1% relative reduction in antibiotic drug costs (RR, 0.94; 97.5% CI, 0.89-0.99; P = .01). This corresponds to an average of 24 fewer prolonged-duration prescriptions and $771 in drug cost savings per PCP over 12 months. Conclusions and Relevance: In this randomized clinical trial, a single mailed letter to the highest-prescribing PCPs in Ontario, Canada providing peer-comparison feedback, including messaging on limiting antibiotic-prescribing durations, led to statistically significant reductions in total and prolonged-duration antibiotic prescriptions, as well as drug costs. Trial Registration: ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: NCT03776383.

Decentralizing PrEP delivery: Implementation and dissemination strategies to increase PrEP uptake among MSM in Toronto, Canada.

Pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) is traditionally prescribed by HIV specialist physicians. Given finite specialist resources, there is a need to scale up PrEP delivery by decentralizing services via other healthcare professionals. We aimed to assess the feasibility of delivering PrEP to men who have sex with men (MSM) through primary care physicians and sexual health clinic nurses. We piloted a multi-component, implementation and dissemination research program to increase provision of PrEP through primary care physicians and sexual health clinic nurses in Toronto, Canada. Community-based organizations (CBOs) provided prospective participants with information cards that contained links to an online module on engaging providers in a conversation about PrEP. In our patient-initiated continuing medical education (PICME) strategy, participants saw their family doctors and gave them the card, which also contained a link to a Continuing Medical Education module. In the nurse-led strategy, participants visited one of two participating clinics to obtain PrEP. We administered an optional online questionnaire to patients and providers at baseline and six months. CBOs distributed 3043 cards. At least 339 men accessed the online module and 196 completed baseline questionnaires. Most (55%) intended to visit nurses while 21% intended to consult their physicians. Among 45 men completing follow-up questionnaires at 6 months, 31% reported bringing cards to their physicians and obtaining PrEP through them; sexual health clinics delivered PrEP to 244 patients. Participants who went through the PICME approach reported no changes in relationships with their providers. Nurses showed fidelity to PrEP prescribing guidelines. Nurse-led PrEP and patient-initiated continuing medical education (PICME) for primary care physicians are feasible strategies to increase PrEP uptake. Nurse-led PrEP delivery was preferred by most patients.

The effects of Medicaid on access to care and adherence to recommended preventive services.

OBJECTIVE: To quantify the impact of Medicaid enrollment on access to care and adherence to recommended preventive services. DATA SOURCE: 2005-2015 Medical Expenditure Panel Survey Household Component. STUDY DESIGN: We examined several access measures and utilization of several preventive services within the past year and within the time frame recommended by the United States Preventive Services Task Force, if more than a year. We estimated local average treatment effects of Medicaid enrollment using a new, two-stage regression model developed by Nguimkeu, Denteh, and Tchernis. This model accounts for both endogenous and underreported Medicaid enrollment by using a partial observability bivariate probit regression as the first stage. We identify the model with an exogenous measure of Medicaid eligibility, the simulated Medicaid eligibility rate by state, year, and parents vs childless adults. A wide range of changes in Medicaid eligibility occurred during the time period studied. DATA COLLECTION/EXTRACTION METHODS: Sample of low-income, nonelderly adults not receiving disability benefits. PRINCIPAL FINDINGS: Medicaid enrollment decreased the probability of having unmet needs for medical care by 7.5 percentage points and the probability of experiencing delays getting prescription drugs by 7.7 percentage points. Medicaid enrollment increased the probability of having a usual source of care by 16.5 percentage points, the probability of having a routine checkup by 17.1 percentage points, and the probability of having a flu shot in past year by 12.6 percentage points. CONCLUSION: Medicaid enrollment increased access to care and use of some preventive services. Additional research is needed on impacts for subgroups, such as parents, childless adults, and the smaller and generally older populations for whom screening tests are recommended.

Prepared and highly committed despite the risk of COVID-19 infection: a cross-sectional survey of primary care physicians' concerns and coping strategies in Singapore.

BACKGROUND: Primary care physicians (PCPs) are first points-of-contact between suspected cases and the healthcare system in the current COVID-19 pandemic. This study examines PCPs' concerns, impact on personal lives and work, and level of pandemic preparedness in the context of COVID-19 in Singapore. We also examine factors and coping strategies that PCPs have used to manage stress during the outbreak. METHODS: Two hundred and sixteen PCPs actively practicing in either a public or private clinic were cluster sampled via email invitation from three primary care organizations in Singapore from 6th to 29th March 2020. Participants completed a cross-sectional online questionnaire consisting of items on work- and non-work-related concerns, impact on personal and work life, perceived pandemic preparedness, stress-reduction factors, and personal coping strategies related to COVID-19. RESULTS: A total of 158 questionnaires were usable for analyses. PCPs perceived themselves to be at high risk of COVID-19 infection (89.9%), and a source of risk (74.7%) and concern (71.5%) to loved ones. PCPs reported acceptance of these risks (91.1%) and the need to care for COVID-19 patients (85.4%). Overall perceived pandemic preparedness was extremely high (75.9 to 89.9%). PCPs prioritized availability of personal protective equipment, strict infection prevention guidelines, accessible information about COVID-19, and well-being of their colleagues and family as the most effective stress management factors. CONCLUSIONS: PCPs continue to serve willingly on the frontlines of this pandemic despite the high perception of risk to themselves and loved ones. Healthcare organizations should continue to support PCPs by managing both their psychosocial (e.g. stress management) and professional (e.g. pandemic preparedness) needs.

Optimal staffing in community health centers to improve quality of care.

OBJECTIVE: To explore optimal workforce configurations in the production of care quality in community health centers (CHCs), accounting for interactions among occupational categories, as well as contributions to the volume of services. DATA SOURCES: We linked the Uniform Data System from 2014 to 2016 with Internal Revenue Service nonprofit tax return data. The final database contained 3139 center-year observations from 1178 CHCs. STUDY DESIGN: We estimated a system of two generalized linear production functions, with quality of care and volume of services as outputs, using the average percent of diabetic patients with controlled A1C level and hypertensive patients with controlled blood pressure as quality measures. To explore the substitutability and complementarity between staffing categories, we estimated a revenue function. FINDINGS: Primary care physicians and advanced practice clinicians achieve similar quality outcomes (3.2 percent and 3.0 percent improvement in chronic condition management per full-time equivalent (FTE), respectively). Advanced practice clinicians generate less revenue per FTE but are generally less costly to employ. CONCLUSION: As quality incentives are further integrated into payment systems, CHCs will need to optimize their workforce configuration to improve quality. Given the relative efficiency of advanced practice clinicians in producing quality, further hiring of these professionals is a cost-effective investment for CHCs.

Tiotropium in asthma - perspectives for the primary care physician.

Asthma is a heterogeneous disease characterized by airway inflammation resulting from complex interactions between multiple hosts as well as environmental factors. As a chronic respiratory condition, asthma exerts a significant impact on patients and the healthcare system. Per the Global Initiative for Asthma (GINA), inhaled corticosteroids (ICS) with/without long-acting beta2-agonists (LABAs) should be used as the preferred controllers for the management of asthma. Despite a range of therapeutic options, many patients with asthma remain uncontrolled, resulting in an increased risk of hospitalization and emergency room visits and a worsened quality of life. Tiotropium (Spiriva®, Boehringer Ingelheim Pharmaceuticals, Inc; 1.25 µg, two puffs, once daily), delivered via the Respimat® inhaler (Boehringer Ingelheim Pharmaceuticals, Inc.), was the first long-acting muscarinic antagonist to be approved as an add-on maintenance treatment option for patients with asthma aged ≥6 years at GINA steps 4 and 5. By binding to the muscarinic receptors M1 and M3 in the bronchial airways, tiotropium antagonizes the action of acetylcholine, leading to smooth muscle relaxation and reduced mucus secretion.The efficacy and safety of tiotropium add-on to ICS±LABA maintenance treatment have been evaluated in randomized controlled trials (RCTs) involving patients with a range of asthma severities (mild, moderate, and severe) and across age groups (children, adolescents, and adults). Add-on tiotropium was found to be well tolerated and efficacious in all RCTs. Moreover, the findings from real-world studies complement results from RCTs, showing beneficial effects of tiotropium in reducing exacerbations, hospitalization, emergency room visits, and asthma worsening.In this review article, we discuss the pathophysiology of asthma and the role of tiotropium in the management of asthma from the perspective of a primary care physician.

Impact of collaborative clinician visits on postdischarge total cost of care in a polypharmacy population.

PURPOSE: To evaluate the impact of a collaborative intervention by pharmacists and primary care clinicians on total cost of care, including costs of inpatient readmissions, emergency department visits, and outpatient care, at 30, 60, and 180 days after hospital discharge in a population of patients at high risk for readmission due to polypharmacy. METHODS: A retrospective study of cost outcomes in a cohort of adult patients discharged from a single institution from July 1, 2013 to March 25, 2016, was conducted. All patients had at least 10 medications listed on their discharge list, including at least 1 drug frequently associated with adverse events leading to hospital readmission. About half of the cohort (n = 496) attended a postdischarge visit involving both a pharmacist and a primary care clinician (a physician, physician assistant, or licensed nurse practitioner); this was designated the pharmacist/clinician collaborative (PCC) group. The remainder of the cohort (n = 500) attended a visit without pharmacist involvement; this was designated as the usual care (UC) group. Costs were compared using a quantile regression to assess the potential heterogeneous impacts of the PCC intervention across different parts of the cost distribution. All outcomes were adjusted for differences in baseline characteristics. RESULTS: At 30 days post index discharge, there was a significant decrease in total costs in the 10th and 90th cost quantiles in the PCC cohort vs the UC cohort, without a statistically significant decrease in the 25th, 50th or 75th quantiles. The difference was significant in the 75th and 90th quantiles at 60 days and in the 25th, 50th, and 75th quantiles at 180 days. There was a nonsignificant cost reduction in all other quantiles. CONCLUSION: Medically complex patients had a significantly lower total cost of care in approximately half of the adjusted cost quantiles at 30, 60, and 180 days after hospital discharge when they had a PCC visit. PCC visits can improve patient clinical outcomes while improving cost metrics.

[Patients on oral anticancer drugs and coordinated pathway: CHIMORAL, feedback from care providers]. / Patients sous anticancéreux oraux et parcours coordonné : CHIMORAL, retour des acteurs de soins.

INTRODUCTION: Oral anticancer drugs have raised the question of how to follow-up these patients and how to coordinate this follow-up. The CHIMORAL study evaluated the involvement of primary care providers and a coordination by territorial health networks. Training/information tools were provided, as well as weekly nursing follow-up at home. METHODS: The operational feasibility of this model was assessed through a qualitative/quantitative analysis of territorial health network intervention and feedback from primary care providers. RESULTS: One hundred and fifty four patients received coordinated care, with nursing follow-up for 89% of them (average 6.3 weeks). One in three nurses, one in five pharmacists and one in ten doctors used the tools provided, 41% of which were used for training and 16% for the management of an adverse event. The main reasons for using the networks concerned adverse effects (34%) and came mainly from nurses (45%) and patients and their relatives (47%). Patients felt safe, with more responsive management. DISCUSSION: This intervention has strengthened the networks' links with primary care providers. The use of the community-based care system for adverse events was more frequent, with improved detection and patient awareness, with no observed impact on compliance. A proposed evolution is to maintain an in-home assessment for all patients and to define a frequency and duration of follow-up according to the patient's profile.

Patient and caregiver perspectives on early identification for advance care planning in primary healthcare settings.

BACKGROUND: As part of a broader study to improve the capacity for advance care planning (ACP) in primary healthcare settings, the research team set out to develop and validate a computerized algorithm to help primary care physicians identify individuals at risk of death, and also carried out focus groups and interviews with relevant stakeholder groups. Interviews with patients and family caregivers were carried out in parallel to algorithm development and validation to examine (1) views on early identification of individuals at risk of deteriorating health or dying; (2) views on the use of a computerized algorithm for early identification; and (3) preferences and challenges for ACP. METHODS: Fourteen participants were recruited from two Canadian provinces. Participants included individuals aged 65 and older with declining health and self-identified caregivers of individuals aged 65 and older with declining health. Semi-structured interviews were conducted via telephone. A qualitative descriptive analytic approach was employed, which focused on summarizing and describing the informational contents of the data. RESULTS: Participants supported the early identification of patients at risk of deteriorating health or dying. Early identification was viewed as conducive to planning not only for death, but for the remainder of life. Participants were also supportive of the use of a computerized algorithm to assist with early identification, although limitations were recognized. While participants felt that having family physicians assume responsibility for early identification and ACP was appropriate, questions arose around feasibility, including whether family physicians have sufficient time for ACP. Preferences related to the content of and approach to ACP discussions were highly individualized. Required supports during ACP include informational and emotional supports. CONCLUSIONS: This work supports the role of primary care providers in the early identification of individuals at risk of deteriorating health or death and the process of ACP. To improve ACP capacity in primary healthcare settings, compensation systems for primary care providers should be adjusted to ensure appropriate compensation and to accommodate longer ACP appointments. Additional resources and more established links to community organizations and services will also be required to facilitate referrals to relevant community services as part of the ACP process.

Association of primary care physician supply with maternal and child health in China: a national panel dataset, 2012-2017.

BACKGROUND: The Chinese government has been strengthening the primary care system since the launch of the New Healthcare System Reform in 2009. Among all endeavors, the most obvious and significant improvement lays in maternal and child health. This study was designed to explore the association of primary care physician supply with maternal and child health outcomes in China, and provide policy suggestions to the law makers. METHODS: Six-year panel dataset of 31 provinces in China from 2012 to 2017 was used to conduct the longitudinal ecological study. Linear fixed effects regression model was applied to explore the association of primary care physician supply with the metrics of maternal and child health outcomes while controlling for specialty care physician supply and socio-economic covariates. Stratified analysis was used to test whether this association varies across different regions in China. RESULTS: The number of primary care physicians per 10,000 population increased from 15.56 (95% CI: 13.66 to 17.47) to 16.08 (95% CI: 13.86 to 18.29) from 2012 to 2017. The increase of one primary care physician per 10,000 population was associated with 5.26 reduction in maternal mortality per 100,000 live births (95% CI: - 6.745 to - 3.774), 0.106% (95% CI: - 0.189 to - 0.023) decrease in low birth weight, and 0.419 decline (95% CI: - 0.564 to - 0.273) in perinatal mortality per 1000 live births while other variables were held constant. The association was particularly prominent in the less-developed western China compared to the developed eastern and central China. CONCLUSION: The sufficient supply of primary care physician was associated with improved maternal and child health outcomes in China, especially in the less-developed western region. Policies on effective and proportional allocation of resources should be made and conducted to strengthen primary care system and eliminate geographical disparities.

Primary care physician practice styles and quality, cost, and productivity.

OBJECTIVES: To assess quality, cost, physician productivity, and patient experience for 2 primary care physician (PCP) practice styles: the focused, who typically address only the patient's acute problem, versus the max-packers, who typically address additional conditions also. STUDY DESIGN: Retrospective observational study using administrative data, electronic health record (EHR) data, and patient surveys. Data represent 285 PCPs (779 PCP-years) in a large, multispecialty group practice during 2011, 2012, and 2013. METHODS: PCPs were ranked each year by their number of additional conditions addressed during acute care visits. The top one-third (max-packers) addressed 25.4% more "other problems" than expected, while focused PCPs (bottom one-third) addressed 20.3% fewer than expected. Outcomes were resource use, clinical quality metrics, patient-reported experience, physician time using the EHR, and physician productivity. All measures were risk-adjusted to account for patient mix. T tests were used to compare measures. RESULTS: Relative to a focused pattern of care, max-packing was associated with 3.4% lower overall resource use, consistently better scores for the available clinical quality metrics, and comparable patient experience (except for worse wait time ratings). Patients of focused PCPs used 7.3% more specialist services, in terms of costs, than patients of max-packers ($1218 vs $1136; P <.001). Max-packers spent 40 minutes more per clinical day using the EHR. PCPs with less appointment availability and who used a mix of appointment slots were more likely to be max-packers. CONCLUSIONS: Max-packing behavior yields desirable outcomes at lower overall cost but involves more conventionally uncompensated PCP time. Alternatives to compensation just for face-to-face visits and using more flexible scheduling may be needed to support max-packing.

An Examination of the Prescription Renewal Process and Implications for Primary Care Physicians and Community Pharmacists.

In physician practices and pharmacies, staff members work to process prescription renewals so that patients receive a steady supply of medications. These functions are essential to ensure patients have continuous access to medications and remain adherent to prescribed therapies. Despite the incorporation of e-prescribing software programs to ease management of these processes, barriers to effective management of the prescription renewal process exist. Mismanagement of pharmacy adherence programs can ultimately lead to patients receiving inappropriate medications and excessive use of staff resources. The objective of this article is to examine the prescription renewal process in both the primary care setting and the pharmacy and report challenges associated with the process. A literature review was conducted to find studies that describe pharmacists' and physicians' handlings of prescription renewals, use of e-prescribing software, and benefits and barriers to using these technologies. Although studies report e-prescribing software improves efficiency in the prescription renewal process, there is a need to reduce technological problems that create challenges in use. It is recommended that staff within physician practices and pharmacies standardize prescription renewal processes and educate patients about the prescription renewal process.

Aspectos fundamentales del nódulo tiroideo y el cáncer bien diferenciado de tiroides para los médicos general y familiar.

The physician that has the first contact with the patient is the general or family doctor, on whose initial assessment patient treatment success often depends. National and international treatment guidelines are designed for specialists in the area, and the primary care physician often finds them difficult to interpret. The purpose of this document is to offer primary care physicians the fundamentals for the diagnostic and reference process of patients with thyroid nodules and possibly with well-differentiated thyroid cancer, from an objective and pragmatic point of view. Not all thyroid nodules require the same approach, and not all nodules are associated with cancer and neither should they be removed. The bases for a proper diagnosis of a thyroid tumor are patient history, physical examination and ultrasound. The results of these three initial assessment methods shall support the decision on the diagnostic-therapeutic process. This article explains the appropriate way to approach the diagnosis of a thyroid tumor, which studies are unnecessary, and which are the principles of thyroid cancer treatment.

El galeno de primer contacto con el paciente es el médico general o familiar, de cuya evaluación inicial muchas veces depende el éxito en el tratamiento de los pacientes. Las guías terapéuticas nacionales e internacionales están diseñadas para especialistas en el área y el médico de primer contacto suele encontrarlas difíciles de interpretar. El objetivo del presente documento es ofrecer al médico de primer contacto los fundamentos para el diagnóstico y proceso de referencia de los pacientes con nódulos tiroideos y eventualmente con cáncer bien diferenciado de tiroides, un punto de vista objetivo y pragmático. No todos los nódulos tiroideos requieren la misma aproximación diagnóstica y no todos los nódulos están asociados con cáncer ni deben ser retirados. Las bases para el adecuado diagnóstico de un tumor tiroideo son la historia clínica, la exploración física y el ultrasonido; los resultados de estos tres métodos iniciales de exploración serán los que orienten el proceso diagnóstico-terapéutico. En el presenta artículo se explica la forma adecuada para el diagnóstico de un tumor tiroideo, los estudios innecesarios y los principios del tratamiento del cáncer de tiroides.