- Florida/New Jersey: When Diana Recchio, a hairdresser in New Jersey, came across a dollar with a hand-written message for "Dr. Richard Michael Powers" while counting her tips, she knew she had to find the intended recipient. The message on the dollar read, "Your first dollar as Dr. Richard Michael Powers. From your lifelong patient. May it multiply leaps and bounds. Love and success. Your mom." Through Google, Recchio found Powers, a chiropractor in Florida, who said the message was from his mother but that he didn't remember receiving it—or if he had received it, how he'd lost it. Recchio put the message in the mail Monday. Powers has been practicing for nearly 40 years, suggesting the dollar could have been lost for decades (Peters, Palm Beach Post, 8/9).
- Massachusetts: A group of physicians at North Shore Cancer Medical Center are doubling as musicians. In 2013, surgeon Bernard Benedetto, gastroenterologist Rob Hartfelder, and cardiologist David Rabin, formed the rock band Code Blue. Over the past four years, the band has grown and now plans local gigs as fundraisers for people in need. For instance, the band played a benefit for a North Shore nurse who was diagnosed with ALS (Arcuri, Hospitals & Health Networks, 8/10).
- Oregon: Gov. Kate Brown (D) on Wednesday signed a law to raise the state's minimum age to buy tobacco and e-cigarettes to 21, up from 18. The new law will take effect on Jan. 1, 2018. Other states that have set 21 as the tobacco purchasing age include California, Hawaii, Maine, and New Jersey (Reuters, 8/1).
New: Primary care models for geriatric patients
As the geriatric population expands, health systems must adapt to manage the needs of this patient population. These patients are not simply older adults. They require specialized clinical care due to their unique health status and vulnerability.
This market scan reviews four models for fixed or mobile primary care, including geriatrics clinics, providing primary care in assisted living facilities, forming house call programs, and an overview of strategies to geriatricize existing primary care practices.