Lee A. Resnick, MD, FAAFP
JUCM, The Journal of Urgent Care Medicine, is approaching its fifth year of publication (a feat not without reason for celebration). In an environment of tremendous financial pressures, increasing scrutiny, and decreasing ad revenues, medical publishing is confronting significant challenges. JUCMis not immune. Most casual readers remain unaware of the challenges behind the scenes. It is, perhaps, no concern of theirs. But that does not mean the efforts should go unrecognized. JUCM would not be possible without the contributions of many, often without compensation, certainly without riches, and always with a passion and commitment that far outweighs any return.
I am proud to report, that for the third year running, JUCM has been recognized by the American Society of Healthcare Publication Editors (ASHPE) for both editorial and graphics categories.
This is no small achievement. The ASHPE awards are one of the pre-eminent recognitions in healthcare publishing. We are competing with such stalwarts of the industry as American Medical News and Medical Economics, along with several highly regarded clinical peer-reviewed journals. We are very proud of this distinctive honor. The urgent care community benefits greatly by such national recognition, and it underscores the quality of the editorial product JUCM puts out every month. Congratulations to this year’s winners:
- GOLD – Best How-To Article: “Protecting the Urgent Care Center from Sexual Harassment Claims,” Alan Ayers, April 2010
- GOLD – Best Case History: “The Case for Relationship- based Clerical Care,” Noel Clinton, May 2010
- BRONZE – Best Computer-generated Cover:“The Traveling Patient,” Tom DePrenda, February 2010
I’d like to give a special thank you to all ofour contributor edi- tors, without whom the journal would not be the same:
- Nahum Kovalski, BSc, MDCM: Abstracts/Insights in Images n Frank Leone, MBA, MPH: Occupational Medicine (while Frank has decided to resign his editorial position, we are most grateful for his 5 years of service at JUCM)
- John Shufeldt, MD, JD, MBA: Health Law
- David Stern, MD: Coding Q&A
Inaddition, thank youto regular contributors: Alan Ayers (Prac- tice Management) and Drs. Michael Weinstock and Jill Miller (Bouncebacks).
A special note ofthanks to Harris Fleming, who, after five years of critical editorial guidance, has left to pursue other opportu- nities. I am pleased to introduce Neil Chesanow as our new Man- aging Editor. Neil brings a wealth of healthcare-related editorial and writing experience at major publications.
Tom DePrenda, our award winning Art Director, deserves considerable praise for the eye-popping graphics and visual appeal of our journal.
Thanks to our peer-reviewers and editorial and advisory boards. Their behind-the-scenes work ensures our readers see only the most relevant, unbiased, and evidence-based content available.
And finally, immeasurable gratitude to our publishers, Stu Williams and Peter Murphy of Braveheart Publishing. Despite tremendous pressures, Braveheart never relented, never doubted, and NEVER cut corners for the sake of profits.
From the beginning, JUCM made a commitment to our readers and to the discipline: If we cannot publish a quality product, then it is simply not worth publishing. In my humble opinion, Stu and Pete have exceeded their promise. Braveheart publishes a book ofphenomenal quality, well beyond what one might expect from such a small publishing house.
So, silent no more! A big thank you, Stu, Pete, and the rest of the JUCM team for five years of support and dedication on behalf othe discipline and the entire urgent care community.
