GTMRx News Brief Archive

Practice Transformation Primary care access helped reduce risk of COVID infection, death Counties with greater primary care access, more robust public health and fewer social vulnerabilities had fewer COVID-19 infections and deaths, according to a report from the Primary Care Collaborative and Robert Graham Center. “As we emerge from the current pandemic and re-imagine and rebuild primary care, we also need to look at other factors, such as investment in public health and community-based services,” PCC President and CEO Ann…

Practice Transformation Nurses feel stressed, worthless, insolated and—surprise—undervalued More than half of nurses working in critical care said they were "not emotionally healthy," according to the latest COVID-19 survey on mental health and wellness conducted by the American Nurses Foundation. Three quarters of nurses across all roles said they felt "stressed," and 10% said they felt "worthless." Among nurses of all types, nearly half said they felt "undervalued," 20% reported increased alcohol consumption, 5% reported feeling isolated, 4% reported increased…

Practice Transformation Mandatory virtual visits: Innovation or fragmentation? New, often lower-cost, plans capitalize on the convenience of telemedicine—and patients’ growing familiarity with it. In fact, some insurers now require initial telehealth visits for non-emergency primary care. But consumers should weigh costs and care options before enrolling in a “virtual-first” plan, warns Kaiser Health News. Most insurers doing this rely on contracted physicians, mental health therapists and other staff members. Moreover, some may permit an in-person visit only if their virtual doctor,…

Practice Transformation CMM lets pharmacists demonstrate value Opportunities abound for pharmacists to participate in comprehensive medication management to demonstrate their value and achieve savings and reimbursements for their practices, Pharmacy Practice News report. It then provides insights on how to implement and execute CMM. Among the advice: Track pharmacoeconomic data; for example, look at where less expensive medications were available and whether patients accepted the recommendation for the cheaper drug. Track disease metrics—e.g., whether a patient with diabetes reduced their A1c levels…

Practice Transformation Optimizing medication use for rural vets The current issue of The Rural Connection includes an article on leveraging clinical pharmacists to increase rural veteran access. It reports on the success of the Clinical Pharmacy Practice Rural Veteran Access (CRVA) initiative—a veteran-centric, whole-health comprehensive medication management initiative to ensure medication optimization is prioritized in primary care, pain management and mental health practice areas. Among other areas, the effort had particular success supporting veterans with substance use disorders. (The Rural Connection) Evidence…

Practice Transformation Integrating pharmacists into primary care: Four questions Integrating pharmacists into primary care can bring tremendous benefits, but an Advisory Board survey found that only about half of primary care clinics have dedicated pharmacy support, though this person may be shared across multiple sites. To help other practices make the transition, the Advisory Board suggests four questions for PCPs to ask: What is your program’s primary goal? Who is the pharmacist’s end customer? Where should you locate pharmacists? How…

Practice Transformation Walgreens, Blue Shield collab focuses on whole-person care Blue Shield of California and Walgreens have joined forces in what they call an effort to improve condition management and deliver whole-person care. Eligible beneficiaries will be able to get blood pressure screenings, mammography care coordination and other services through Walgreens' Health Corner locations. The sites will be staffed with pharmacists, dieticians and/or nurses. The program, which includes in-store, at-home and virtual care, is expected to launch by early 2022.…

Practice Transformation Mayo’s remote monitoring success Mayo Clinic's COVID-19 Remote Patient Monitoring (RPM) Program has served more than 7,000 patients across 41 states, and it may be a model for others. A recent study found that a multisite RPM program for management of acute COVID-19 “is feasible, safe, and associated with a low mortality rate.” The study also demonstrates the efficacy of incorporating interventions that support patient access and engagement and mitigate digital health disparities: The program had an overall patient…

Practice Transformation Dollar General eyes rural health care possibilities Dollar General is expanding its health care presence, the Wall Street Journal reports. In July, it hired a chief medical officer, a new position in an August earnings call, CEO Todd Vasos—who comes out of the drugstore sector—said the company is considering services that rural America doesn’t have access to—such as eye care, telemedicine and prescription delivery to stores. But for the most part, the retailer is keeping mum about its health strategy.…

Practice Transformation CMS’ vision: coordinated, team-based and equitable care The future of value-based care includes reducing the number of payment models and increasing health equity, according to CMS. It plans to prioritize coordinated, team-based care, outcomes measurements that matter to patients, and holding providers more accountable, CMS and CMS Innovation Center leaders wrote in a recent Health Affairs Blog post. Their objective: a health system that eliminates disparities through high-quality, affordable and person-centered care. The agency plans to put health care equity…

Practice Transformation PCPs are worried, and vaccine hesitancy isn’t helping Primary care clinicians are tired and worried, according to a new survey from the from the Larry A. Green Center and the Primary Care Collaborative. Fully 40% of respondents say they worry that primary care will be gone in five years. Vaccine hesitancy plays a role, with 53% noting that hesitancy is high and hard to counter—and it’s contributing to burnout. "While the pressure is now on primary care to…

Practice Transformation Affordability: HDHPs associated with skipped diabetes meds Research published in the Journal of General Internal Medicine finds that 20% of people with diabetes and high-deductible health plans regularly skip their medications. Compared to people without HDHPs, people with high deductibles are 28% more likely to not take their medicines on time due to cost. “Patients with diabetes should recognize that a high-deductible plan will put them at risk for missing or delaying their medications, and doctors need to recognize that…

Practice Transformation Pandemic drives exodus from private practice The pandemic accelerated the move from private practice to corporate medicine, Fierce Healthcare reports. Between Jan. 1, 2019, and Jan. 1, 2021, hospitals, payers and other entities acquired 20,900 practices, according to the Physicians Advocacy Institute. During that period, 48,400 physicians left independent practice to work for a larger employer. Most of this activity occurred between July 1, 2020, and Jan. 1, 2021. As of Jan. 1, 2021, nearly half of all U.S. practices…

Practice Transformation Personalized vax outreach seems to work A new KFF COVID-19 Vaccine Monitor report finds many individuals who were initially hesitant to get a COVID-19 vaccine in January, but ultimately did get one, say that family, friends and their personal doctors helped change their minds. KFF found that 54% of those who said in January they wanted to “wait and see” have received at least one dose. However, 76% of people who had previously said they would “only get…

Practice Transformation Biden vax effort focuses on trusted messengers President Biden last week announced a summer-long initiative to reach the vaccine-resistant. Outreach will become increasingly granular, and it will include going door-to-door and visiting places of worship. Primary care will play a large role: “My team is going to place renewed emphasis on getting the vaccines to more and more family doctors and health care providers so more Americans can get this shot at their doctor’s office from the folks…

Practice Transformation AMA: Under 4% of docs remain unvaccinated More than 96% of U.S. physicians have been fully vaccinated for COVID-19, according to a new AMA survey. Of the physicians who are not yet vaccinated, 45% intend to get one. The most common reason cited for not receiving the vaccine: It’s too new and has unknown long-term effects. The survey revealed no significant differences in physician vaccination rates across various demographic groups, including primary care vs specialist, region, gender, age…

Practice Transformation New org to advance primary care Primary care is the key to transforming health care in America, write ACP President George M. Abraham, MD, MPH, and AAFP President Ada D. Stewart, MD. With that, they announced the launch of Primary Care for America, a collaboration focused on demonstrating the value of primary care. “Unfortunately, the US health care system has long over-emphasized and over-invested in the sub-specialization of physicians and the specialization of care.” The result: a health care…