More women are seeking long-acting reversible contraception, but although the number of family physicians who provide LARC services is increasing, less than 25% do so, according to a study in the Journal of the American Board of Family Medicine. "Given that reproductive planning and pregnancy are central to the physical health and the socioeconomic well-being of women and families, addressing barriers to LARC provision in primary care is important," researchers wrote.

The FDA approved Oculogica's EyeBox product, a noninvasive eye-tracking tool to use when diagnosing a concussion. EyeBox does not require a preinjury baseline assessment, which may not be available in a hospital emergency department, for comparison purposes.

Nearly 43.4% of adolescents ages 13 to 17 were given complete human papillomavirus vaccination, but only 15.8% and about 34.8% had received all recommended HPV vaccine doses by ages 13 and 15, respectively, according to a study in the Journal of Infectious Diseases. Researchers also found higher odds of up-to-date HPV vaccination at ages 13 and 15 among those who had one health provider, compared with those with two or more providers.

German researchers conducted a 104-week double-blind study involving 621 adults with type 2 diabetes inadequately controlled on metformin and found that those who received ertugliflozin experienced reduced fasting plasma glucose, systolic blood pressure and body weight, compared with those on placebo and glimepiride. The findings in Diabetes, Obesity and Metabolism also showed a lower incidence of symptomatic hypoglycemia among those in the ertugliflozin group than the placebo/glimepiride group.

Experts at the nonprofit group EAT called for a "Great Food Transformation" by 2050, moving the world toward a plant-based diet that is healthier and more environmentally sustainable, according to a report in The Lancet. The report recommends people eat fewer eggs and less meat and dairy, limit added sugars and refined grains, and consume more whole grains, fruits, vegetables and beans.

A CDC study that included data from 31,422 primary care clinicians showed people living in rural counties were 85% more likely to get an opioid prescription than those living in larger metropolitan counties. "Opioid prescribing in rural (nonmetropolitan) areas is strongly influenced by providers' individual relationships with their patients, and can be inconsistent with opioid prescribing guidelines," researchers wrote in Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report.

A study in Pediatrics showed that teens and young adults who previously discussed confidentiality with their physicians talked about 4.4 out of 11 specific topics on average during their most recent visit, compared with 2.9 topics among those who didn't have confidentiality discussions. Researchers also found confidentiality discussions were linked to significantly increased odds of having discussions about alcohol and drugs, tobacco, and sexually transmitted infections or HIV.

The Medicare Payment Advisory Commission voted unanimously to recommend the consolidation of hospital quality initiatives into a single program linking Medicare payments to the quality of care, arguing the move would prevent confusion and overlapping requirements. The commission outlined recommendations for a program called the Hospital Value Incentive Program and said it should start in 2020 and increase the payment rate for acute care hospitals by 2% over this year.

The CMS unveiled its proposed notice of benefit and payment standards for Affordable Care Act plans for the 2020 coverage year and it includes proposals to lower ACA user fees, allow insurers to adopt midyear prescription formulary changes and increase the annual cost-sharing limit to $8,200 for self-only coverage and $16,400 for family coverage. The agency also asked for comments on how it might address the practice of silver-loading -- concentration of premium increases in silver plans -- and indicated support for a legislative fix enabling cost-sharing reduction payments to resume.

The Medscape National Physician Burnout, Depression & Suicide Report 2019 showed 44% of physicians overall met criteria for burnout, compared with 42% a year ago, with the rate for family physicians at 48%. The survey showed 59% of physicians said too many administrative tasks lead to burnout.

With FP Comprehensive 2019, you'll learn when and where you want with easy-to-use content compiled from five years of FP Essentials monographs. Access up to 60 AAFP Prescribed credits for an additional fee. Get the latest family medicine guidelines. Order FP Comprehensive 2019 today.