Ashley Blachford, Author at Journal of Urgent Care Medicine

DOJ Questions UnitedHealth’s Contracting Practices

The Department of Justice has launched an antitrust investigation into UnitedHealth Group, focusing on how the UnitedHealthcare insurance division influences its own Optum health-services arm, according to the Wall Street Journal. Optum’s portfolio includes physician groups and other providers, and the business line employs a total physician force of about 90,000, making it the largest physician employer in the country. The investigation is digging into how Optum’s acquisitions of physician groups impact competition, particularly in …

42-Year-Old Soccer Player With Knee Injury

A 42-year-old man presents to urgent care with knee pain. He says the pain started when he was playing soccer, just as he kicked a ball toward the goal. Ultimately, he had to leave the game because of the pain. View the image taken and consider what your diagnosis and next steps would be. Resolution of the case is described on the following page.

38-Year-Old With Rash After Heating Pad Use

A 38-year-old woman presented to urgent care for rash that had developed on her trunk 2 months prior. On examination, extensive hyperpigmented, reticulated patches were seen on her back. She had no recent history of sunburn, extensive sun exposure, or history of dermatological conditions. Additional history revealed the use of a heating pad for the preceding 3 months to help manage her chronic back pain. She often rested on the electric heating pad for several …

Isolated Sternal Fractures After Trampoline Falls in Children: A Case Series

Urgent Message: Isolated sternal fractures in children can occur from relatively minor trauma, such as a trampoline fall, and patients can often be managed conservatively. NaShayla Davis, MD; Olabisi Pearse, MD; Swati Mahajan, MD; Marie-Helene Gagnon, MD; Rebecca Burger, MD Citation: Davis N, Pearse O, Mahajan S, Gagnon MH, Burger R. Isolated Sternal Fractures After Trampoline Falls in Children: A Case Series. J Urgent Care Med. 2024; 18(6): 13-16 Key Words: Trampoline, Fall, Fracture, Injury, …

Abstracts in Urgent Care – March 2024

Omicron versus Flu & RSV – Which is Most Dangerous for Children? Take Home Point: In this study, hospitalization rates were highest for patients with RSV than Omicron (COVID-19) in all age groups of children. Citation: Hedberg P, Abdel-Halem L, Valik J, et. al. Outcomes of Pediatric SARS-CoV-2 Omicron Infection vs Influenza and Respiratory Syncytial Virus Infections. JAMA Pediatr. 2023 Dec 26: e235734. doi: 10.1001/jamapediatrics.2023.5734 Relevance: With increasing availability for respiratory pathogen testing, it is …

An Atypical Cause of Fever and Confusion: A Case Report of Delayed Pulmonary Embolism Diagnosis

Francesca Cocchiarale, DO; Alexa Bailey, MS-3; Michael Weinstock, MD Urgent Message: Pulmonary embolism can be frequently missed as a diagnosis because it can present with a variety of signs and symptoms. Understanding clinical decision rules and myriad presentations can help urgent care providers determine when patients benefit from immediate referral to an emergency department. Citation: Cocchiarale F, Bailey A, Weinstock M. An Atypical Cause of Fever and Confusion: A Case Report of Delayed Pulmonary Embolism …

55-Year-Old Male With Dyspnea

A 55-year-old male with a history of heart failure presents to the urgent care with dyspnea. An ECG is obtained. View the ECG captured above and consider what your diagnosis and next steps would be. Resolution of the case is described on the next page.

Free Advice

Members of the Urgent Care Association (UCA) get a lot of “free” stuff—resources, checklists, podcasts, job searches, magazines, webinars, templates, plans, and so on. But this year at the Urgent Care Convention we are going one better (two, actually). I’m talking about our new “Ask a Consultant” sessions and our Quality Programs Center, both of which essentially provide the space for free consulting (yes, free). The Ask a Consultant sessions feature top, vetted consultants who …

Supervising Doctors May be Held Liable in Malpractice Suits

Urgent Message: A supervising physician can be named in a lawsuit for malpractice against a nurse practitioner or physician assistant, however, there are steps supervising physicians can take to protect themselves against such actions. Alan A. Ayers, MBA, MAcc In urgent care settings, physicians are often responsible for supervising and overseeing a team of other healthcare employees, including nurse practitioners (NPs), physician assistants (PAs), and medical assistants (MAs). If any member of this team is …

What is a False Claim?

Benjamin Barlow, MD; Phyllis Dobberstein, CPC, CPMA, CPCO, CEMC, CCC The False Claims Act (FCA) is a federal statute enacted in 1863, inspired by defense-contractor fraud during the Civil War. Today it is used to prosecute inappropriate billing in the healthcare setting. Any person who knowingly submits false claims to the government (ie, Medicare, Medicaid, and Tricare) is liable for 3 times the government’s damages plus a penalty that is linked to inflation. Penalties are per …