Primary Care Tackles Obesity with Good Results

Initial weight decreased at least 5% in 21.5%, 26.0%, and 34.9% of the participants in the three groups, respectively. Enhanced lifestyle counseling was superior to usual care on both these measures of success, with no other significant differences among the groups. There were no significant differences between the intervention groups in the occurrence of serious adverse events. The study was published on November 24, 2011, in the New England Journal of Medicine (NEJM).

“The enhanced lifestyle counseling program offers a successful model for treating obesity in primary care practice with the support of regular staff members, primary care providers, and medical assistants,” said lead author Prof. Thomas Wadden, PhD, director of the Penn Center for Weight and Eating Disorders. “This is an important finding, in light of the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services' recent proposal to cover the costs of intensive behavioral weight loss counseling provided to seniors in primary care practice by physicians and nurse practitioners.”

A PCP is a physician/medical doctor who provides both the first contact for a person with an undiagnosed health concern as well as continuing care of varied medical conditions, not limited by cause, organ system, or diagnosis. The PCP collects information on the present symptoms, prior medical history, and other health details, followed by a physical examination, basic medical testing and interpretation of blood or other patient tests and samples, electrocardiograms, or X-rays.

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