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CONTACT: Jennifer Forbes
732-235-6356, jenn.forbes@umdnj.edu
Medicare beneficiaries with Colorectal Cancer have better outcomes if they utilize primary care before diagnosis
Study by Dr. Jeanne Ferrante and Collaborators Published in Archives of Internal Medicine
A study by Jeanne Ferrante, MD, MPH, associate professor of family medicine and community health at Robert Wood Johnson Medical School, and collaborators at Harvard University and University of South Florida, was published in the October 24 issue of Archives of Internal Medicine.
The study, titled, “Primary Care Utilization and Colorectal Cancer Outcomes Among Medicare Beneficiaries,” indicated that Medicare beneficiaries with colorectal cancer had better outcomes (earlier stage at diagnosis, lower colorectal cancer mortality and lower overall mortality) if they had a greater number of visits to primary care physicians before their diagnosis.
The researchers found that even within this universally insured population, 28 percent of patients had no or only one visit to a primary care physician in the two years prior to their colorectal cancer diagnosis. These patients were at higher risk of not ever receiving a colorectal cancer screening test, being diagnosed at a more advanced stage, and dying from colorectal cancer. This study adds to the mounting evidence of the benefits of primary care in improving health outcomes and underscores the importance of adequate access to a primary care provider, particularly for Medicare beneficiaries.
About UMDNJ-ROBERT WOOD JOHNSON MEDICAL SCHOOL
As one of the nation’s leading comprehensive medical schools, UMDNJ-Robert Wood Johnson Medical School is dedicated to the pursuit of excellence in education, research, health care delivery, and the promotion of community health. In cooperation with Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital, the medical school’s principal affiliate, they comprise New Jersey’s premier academic medical center. In addition, Robert Wood Johnson Medical School has 34 other hospital affiliates and ambulatory care sites throughout the region.
As one of the eight schools of the University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey with 2,800 full-time and volunteer faculty, Robert Wood Johnson Medical School encompasses 22 basic science and clinical departments, hosts centers and institutes including The Cancer Institute of New Jersey, the Child Health Institute of New Jersey, the Center for Advanced Biotechnology and Medicine, the Environmental and Occupational Health Sciences Institute, and the Stem Cell Institute of New Jersey. The medical school maintains educational programs at the undergraduate, graduate and postgraduate levels for more than 1,500 students on its campuses in New Brunswick, Piscataway, and Camden, and provides continuing education courses for health care professionals and community education programs. To learn more about UMDNJ-Robert Wood Johnson Medical School, log on to rwjms.umdnj.edu. Find us online at www.Facebook.com/RWJMS and www.twitter.com/UMDNJ_RWJMS.
