Online Exclusives

The Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-5), scheduled for release next week at the annual meeting of the American Psychiatric Association (APA), marks the beginning of a significant change in practice for primary care practitioners.

In an update to its 2004 guidelines on screening adults to reduce alcohol misuse, the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF) has recommended that primary care physicians screen patients age 18 years and older for “risky” or “hazardous” drinking and offer brief counseling interventions to reduce these practices.

Patients taking azithromycin were at no greater risk for fatal cardiac arrhythmias than those taking penicillin, according to data from the Danish National health registry.

A newly proposed set of rules from the Accreditation Council on Graduate Medical Education governing the way family physicians are trained would lessen requirements for residents to undergo contraception and unintended pregnancy counseling, possibly inhibiting easy access to the service for women in the future.

Beginning in August, drug and device manufacturers will have to begin disclosing all payments and compensation to physicians and teaching hospitals in compliance with the National Physician Payment Transparency Program, a provision of the Affordable Care Act.

The American College of Physicians has announced the release of “Keeping Your Heart Healthy”, a patient centered initiative to improve health outcomes in the first year following an acute coronary syndrome event.

The FDA’s recent warning that the commonly used antibiotic azithromycin (Zithromax) has been associated with a risk of fatal heart rhythms in some patients may lead to changes in physician prescribing habits.

Walgreens has announced the expansion of its in-store clinic services to include diagnosis and treatment of patients with chronic conditions through the introduction of physician assistants and nurse practitioners into 300 of the company’s Take Care Clinics.

To combat shortages of primary care physicians and to meet demands that will be placed on the healthcare system under the Affordable Care Act, a number of new medical schools are opening across the United States – many of which will focus specifically on primary care.

Many adolescents in the United States fall short of the American Heart Association’s standards for cardiovascular health, a new study found, suggesting a possible increase in the prevalence of obesity, hypertension, and dysglycemia in the future.

Increased exposure to vaccines during the first 2 years of life is not associated with the development of an autism spectrum disorder (ASD), despite that 33% of parents fear such a correlation, , according to a study conducted by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

A significantly high number of lumbar spine MRI scans ordered by both family physicians and specialists were deemed inappropriate or of “uncertain value” after analysis by an expert panel, a result they reported as “unsurprising”.

The March 2013 issue of Consultant is now available.  View the full table of contents here.