Search results for "Substance Abuse"
Primary care takes on opioid addiction
There's a lot that primary care clinicians can do to treat opioid addiction, but stigma about the condition, as well as laws and other regulations, throw up barriers.
https://immattersacp.org/archives/2017/10/primary-care-takes-on-opioid-addiction.htm
1 Oct 2017
Internists can help with alcohol misuse
New legislation in the Affordable Care Act (ACA) mandates that insurance plans cover alcohol treatment as an essential health care benefit, prompting internists to integrate care for alcohol use disorders into their practices.
https://immattersacp.org/archives/2015/10/alcohol.htm
1 Oct 2015
Preventing suicide in primary care
There is debate over whether screening patients for suicide risk factors actually reduces suicide deaths, yet many primary care clinics are training clinicians and staff to recognize suicide risk factors in their patients.
https://immattersacp.org/archives/2018/10/preventing-suicide-in-primary-care.htm
1 Oct 2018
Letters to the Editor
Readers respond about medical marijuana, mindful medicine, pharmaceutical reps, and more.
https://immattersacp.org/archives/2011/01/letters.htm
1 Jan 2011
Manage diagnosis, follow-up of depression systematically
Improvements to treating depressive symptoms led to improvements in A1c levels and blood pressure in one internist's practice. A systematic, manageable approach exists to diagnosis and treatment.
https://immattersacp.org/archives/2011/06/depression.htm
1 Jun 2011
Rethinking the value of the annual exam
Patients expect it and internists won't let it go. But does the evidence support the need for the periodic health exam? Experts weigh in on the value of regularly seeing a patient on a preventive basis.
https://immattersacp.org/archives/2010/01/annual.htm
1 Jan 2010
Internists don't need to defer treating pain
Pain is one of the most common symptoms seen by primary care physicians, but it can be the most difficult to handle. Chronic pain often requires time-intensive, complex regimens that call for careful management and monitoring, which is not easy to achieve in a busy primary care practice.
https://immattersacp.org/archives/2011/05/pain.htm
1 May 2011
Marijuana requests: Relief or ‘permission’?
Fourteen states have legalized medical marijuana. Internists who have issued the controversial prescriptions describe how they sort out legitimate uses from trivial requests.
https://immattersacp.org/archives/2010/11/marijuana.htm
1 Nov 2010
Congress' annual rite of passage to health care spending
ACP encourages Congress to consider end-of-year issues more fully, such as ensuring that Medicare payment cuts do not threaten primary care during what seems like an annual rite of passage.
https://immattersacp.org/archives/2022/02/congress-annual-rite-of-passage-to-health-care-spending.htm
1 Feb 2022
Integrate mental health into medical practice
Partnerships between internists and mental health professionals are rare but proving their worth. Advantages include recognizing symptoms in a primary care setting and easing co-management for providers and patients alike.
https://immattersacp.org/archives/2011/04/integrate.htm
1 Apr 2011