Journal of Urgent Care Medicine

Practice Management

 

Urgent Care News

New Oral Drug For Complicated UTI

Oral Drug Offers Options For Complicated UTI

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) this month approved tebipenem pivoxil for adults with complicated …
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Rise in Tetanus

Small Rise in Tetanus Warrants Attention

Cases of tetanus in the United States rose from 17 in 2020 to 38 in …
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AI ECG Diagnostic Tool

AI Model Expands ECG’s Diagnostic Potential

An AI model developed by researchers at New York-Presbyterian and Columbia University Irving Medical Center …
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Dysmenorrhea Linked to STI Diagnoses

Endometriosis, Dysmenorrhea Linked to STI Diagnoses

In an analysis of 3.4 million women under age 40, researchers in Japan found a …
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New mRNA Flu Shot

New mRNA Flu Shot Would Offer Timely Response To Circulating Flu Strains 

If approved, a new seasonal flu shot would become the first commercially available flu vaccine …
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Original Research 

POCUS on Knee of Child in Urgent Care, Urgent Care POCUS and ED Transfers

The Impact of an Urgent Care Point-of-Care Ultrasound Program on Patient Transfers to the Emergency Department

Urgent Message: Training urgent care providers to use point-of-care ultrasound resulted in fewer patient transfers …
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Tympanometry as a Diagnostic Tool in Urgent Care

Application of an Algorithmic Prediction Model to Determine the Utility and Financial Viability of Tympanometry as a Diagnostic Tool in Urgent Care

Urgent Message: The prediction model developed for this study suggests that tympanometry may have value …
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Computer Use in Urgent Care Room

The Effect of Computer Use in the Exam Room on Patient Satisfaction in Urgent Care

Urgent Message: The use of a computer in the urgent care examination room does not …
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Demographic and Clinical Predictors of Rib Fracture, Complication, and Follow-up Among Patients With Rib Injuries Presenting to Urgent Care

Urgent Message: This retrospective cross-sectional study found more than one-third of patients who presented to …
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Unnecessary Prophylactic Antibiotics For Clean Lacerations

An Evaluation of Unnecessary Prophylactic Antibiotics For Clean Lacerations

Urgent Message: Prophylactic antibiotic prescribing for patients with clean lacerations is a common but unnecessary …
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Clinical 

Placebo Effect in Urgent Care Image of Placebo pill

The Placebo Effect and Its Clinical Implications in Urgent Care

Urgent Message: The placebo effect can produce clinical manifestations of various disease states, particularly for pain. It has practical clinical …
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Asthma Management for the Urgent Care

Updated Evidence-Based Pediatric Asthma Management for the Urgent Care Provider

Urgent Message: Acute asthma exacerbations commonly present to urgent care, and providers must be well-equipped to recognize asthma exacerbations and …
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Pelvic Pain in Urgent Care

Gynecologic Causes of Abdominal and Pelvic Pain: Diagnosis and Management

Urgent Message: Abdominal and pelvic pain are common presentations to urgent care. Clinicians need to maintain a broad differential to …
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Shortness of Breath in Pregnancy in Urgent Care

Shortness of Breath in Pregnancy: Differentiating Physiology from Pathology in Urgent Care

Urgent Message: As shortness of breath and edema are common in pregnancy, urgent care clinicians must distinguish patients with normal …
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Practice Management 

Tracking Urgent Care Downstream Referrals and ROI Image

Quantifying the Front Door: A Blueprint for Tracking Urgent Care Downstream Referrals and ROI

Urgent Message: Health systems must reframe urgent care from a low-margin cost center to a strategic front door that drives …
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Who Can Take X-Rays in an Urgent Care

Who Can Take X-Rays in an Urgent Care Center: A 50-State Framework

Urgent Message: This 50-state framework details who can legally operate x-ray equipment, as these laws dictate whether the industry’s predominant …
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2026 Urgent Care Top 100

The 2026 Urgent Care Top 100 By Number of Locations

Alan Ayers, MBA, MAcc Keywords: urgent care; ambulatory care facilities; joint venture; organizational affiliation The nation’s total urgent care center …
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Off-Duty Statements Liability

How Off-Duty Statements Create On-Duty Liability

Urgent Message: There is effectively no right to “free speech” in a private employer-employee relationship. That means private healthcare employers …
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CASE REPORTS

Necrotizing Fasciitis image

Occult Presentation of Necrotizing Fasciitis With Subtle Clinical Findings: A Case Report

Urgent Message: Necrotizing fasciitis may present without visible soft tissue abnormalities. Therefore, clinical signs and symptoms—including …
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Boy Child with Adrenal Glands highlighted in Yellow Adrenal Crisis in Urgent Care

Recognizing and Managing Adrenal Crisis in Urgent Care: A Case Report

Urgent Message: Adrenal crisis is uncommon in the urgent care setting, but it can be rapidly …
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Behçet Disease

Behçet Disease: Atypical Presentation in a Non-Endemic Geographical Region

Urgent Message: Behçet disease may present atypically in non-endemic regions, and ocular involvement requires urgent specialty …
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Glioblastoma in Urgent Care

When a Headache is the Worst-Case Scenario: A Case Report of Glioblastoma

Urgent Message: While most headache presentations are not life-threatening, urgent care providers must remain vigilant in …
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Brugada Syndrome in Urgent Care

Brugada Syndrome in the Urgent Care Center: A Case Report

Urgent Message: Brugada syndrome may present with subtle electrocardiogram findings, and clinicians must recognize the pattern …
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Download Past Issues

Original Research Cover Image on POCUS

June 2026: Managing Pediatric Asthma: Clinical Updates for Urgent Care

VIEW ISSUES ARCHIVE

JUCM CAREER CENTER

CLINICAL IMAGE CHALLENGES

X-ray of unstable ankle injury, Weber B/C type injury

28-Year-Old Female With Rolled Right Ankle

Figure 1. Initial X-ray A 28-year-old female presents to urgent care complaining of right ankle pain after awkwardly stepping off …
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Female with scabby growth on scalp, cancer

63-Year-Old Female With Growth on Scalp

A 63-year-old woman visits urgent care with the chief complaint of an asymptomatic scabby growth on her scalp that developed …
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ECG of Palpitations From Ventricular Pre-excitation in Urgent Care

86-Year-Old With Palpitations

Figure 1. Initial ECGCase presented by Catherine Reynolds, MD, McGovern Medical School at UTHealth Houston …
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POCUS of an Anterior Shoulder Dislocation in Urgent Care

28-Year-Old Male With Suspected Shoulder Dislocation

Image 1. A 28-year-old male with history of left shoulder dislocations presents to urgent care with severe left shoulder pain …
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Lesser Trochanter Avulsion Fracture in Urgent Care

12-Year-Old Boy With Left Groin and Buttock Pain

A 12-year-old male presents to urgent care with his mother for left groin and buttock pain since acute onset while …
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Revenue Cycle Management

Onboarding and Credentialing Challenges for Urgent Care, Onboarding a Doctor, NP or PA

Onboarding and Credentialing Challenges for Urgent Care in Today’s Payer Environment

Kim Hardin Urgent care organizations continue to face growing operational pressure as payer requirements become increasingly complex. Among the most …
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Medicare 2026 Therapy Services Update

Medicare 2026 Therapy Services Update: Key Changes and What Providers Need to Know

Cindy Dickey; Tricia Krueger, CPC The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) has introduced several important updates to therapy …
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AI-Driven Revenue Cycle Management

The Risks of Fully AI-Driven Revenue Cycle Management

Kimberly Hardin, Josh Rainey As healthcare organizations look to modernize operations, the idea of a fully artificial intelligence (AI)-driven revenue …
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Guide to Coding Denials and Diagnosis Compliance

A Basic Guide to Coding Denials and Diagnosis Compliance

Samantha Etter, CPC; Reanna Nelson, CPC Healthcare reimbursement processes continue to evolve. In 2026, diagnosis-based denials have increased significantly across …
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What To Know About Payers’ Downcoding Procedures

Tricia Krueger, CPC; Nikki Benedict Insurers are drawing provider backlash for new payment policies that reduce reimbursements. For example, Cigna …
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DEVELOPING DATA

Patient review with 5 stars over tablet

The Anatomy of a 1-Star vs 5-Star Google Review

While many urgent care operators measure their overall Google ratings—focusing staff on capturing as many “5-stars” as possible—few understand the …
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Structural Divide in Urgent Care Occupational Medicine

The Structural Divide in Urgent Care Occupational Medicine

Data reveals that occupational medicine in urgent care is fundamentally top-heavy. As the table illustrates, the top 20% of clinics …
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Which Generation Uses Urgent Care

Which Generation Uses Urgent Care The Most?

Understanding generational demographics is critical for any organization because age drives consumer behavior.¹ While the U.S. population is distributed relatively …
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The ‘Test and Treat’ Shift: 2026

“Test and treat” legislation at the state level is transforming pharmacists from dispensers into providers, authorizing them to diagnose and …
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The ‘Halo Effect’ of Hybrid Care

The ‘Halo Effect’ of Hybrid Care

Contrary to the fear that virtual care cannibalizes brick-and-mortar volume, 2025 data reveals a distinct “halo effect” for hybrid urgent …
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Abstracts in Urgent Care

Retinal Detachment Exam

Abstracts in Urgent Care – July-August 2026

Pediatric Antibiotic Prescribing: In-Person Vs Telemedicine Take Home Point: Telemedicine integrated within primary care was associated with more judicious antibiotic …
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June 2026 Abstracts in Urgent Care

Abstracts in Urgent Care – June 2026

Comparing Point-of-Care Ultrasound With X-Rays in Pediatric Physeal Injuries Take Home Point: Point-of-care ultrasound (POCUS) demonstrated a high sensitivity in …
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Abstracts in Urgent Care May 2026

Abstracts in Urgent Care – May 2026

Variation in Pretibial Laceration Management Take Home Point: Assessment and management of pretibial lacerations lack consistent standardized guidelines, which is …
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Abstracts in Urgent Care – April 2026

Chest X-rays for Abdominal Pain: Physicians’ Perspectives Take Home Point: In this study, emergency medicine physicians expressed favorable attitudes toward …
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March 2026 Abstracts in Urgent Care

Abstracts in Urgent Care – March 2026

Review of Evidence for Links of Autism with Maternal Acetaminophen Use Take Home Point: Existing evidence does not clearly link …
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LETTER FROM THE EDITOR-IN-CHIEF

Calling All Clinicians

Calling All Clinicians to Join the Colleges

With great excitement—and in full disclosure—I am writing this as the newly elected President of the College of Urgent Care …
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Celebrating 20 Years of JUCM

Celebrating 20 Years of JUCM

“The more things change, the more they stay the same.” This quote by French writer Jean-Baptiste Alphonse Karr in 1849 …
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Training Our Teams to Meet the Needs of Our Patients

Countless times over the last year I have heard variations on a “we can’t” theme. It’s a specific and focused …
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Join Me and Contribute to JUCM

Join Me and Contribute to JUCM

It is an absolute honor and pleasure to serve as the new Editor In Chief of The Journal of Urgent …
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Urgent Care is HOLA

The Quality of Urgent Care Depends on our Commitment to HOLA Expertise

At least once a month, a friend or family member will text me—often for the first time in years—to share …
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