Ashley Blachford, Author at Journal of Urgent Care Medicine

Reimagining Retail Pharmacy as Major Chains Downsize Offerings

Urgent Message: As retail pharmacies reinvent themselves, urgent care has an opportunity to grow within the shifting market dynamic. Alan A. Ayers, MBA, MAcc, is President of Urgent Care Consultants and Senior Editor of JUCM: The Journal of Urgent Care Medicine. Citation: Ayers AA. Reimagining Retail Pharmacy as Major Chains Downsize Offerings. J Urgent Care Med. 2025 19(4)43-47. Retail pharmacies are at a crossroads. Once the go-to destination for prescriptions and over-the-counter health/beauty merchandise, major …

A 2-Year-Old Girl With Respiratory Distress And Altered Mental Status: A Case Report

Urgent Message: While children presenting to urgent care centers usually have minor illnesses, attentiveness to vital signs and behavior is crucial to avoid missing rare but serious diagnoses. Diabetic ketoacidosis is the most common initial presentation of type 1 diabetes mellitus in young children. Capillary blood glucose measurement is a universally available screening tool that should be used liberally in ill-appearing children with alterations in level of consciousness. Ramiro Rodriguez, MD; Samantha Reis, MSN, FNP-BC, …

Urgent Care Considerations for the Patient with Suspected Rib Fracture

Urgent Message: Rib fractures most commonly occur after blunt chest injury. Consider serious associated injuries such as pneumothorax, hemothorax, and pulmonary contusion when assessing patients with suspected rib fractures. Ensuring appropriate analgesia is critical for reducing the risk of complications. Dustin M. Nelson, BS; Shering Torres, MAS, MD; Michael Weinstock, MD Citation: Nelson DM, Torres S, Weinstock M. Urgent Care Considerations for the Patient with Suspected Rib Fracture. J Urgent Care Med. 2025; 19(4): 13-21 …

Uncovering the Unexpected: A Case of Chronic Cough in an Adolescent with an Unusual Etiology

Urgent Message: Chronic cough has a distinct differential diagnosis in different age groups. A cough lasting longer than 4 weeks in children and adolescents should prompt revision of the differential diagnosis to reduce delays in diagnosing serious etiologies. Daniel Moscato, MS, PA-C; Joshua W. Russell, MD Citation: Moscato D, Russell JW. Uncovering the Unexpected: A Case of Chronic Cough in an Adolescent with an Unusual Etiology. J Urgent Care Med. 2025; 19(4)23-26. Key words: Pediatrics, …

Comparing Outcomes for Outpatients Treated With Cephalexin for Uncomplicated Cystitis: Is QID Dosing Necessary?

Urgent Message: Patients commonly seek unscheduled care for urinary tract infections (UTIs). Cephalexin is among the most frequently prescribed antibiotics for acute UTI treatment, however, dosing regimens lack standardization. In this small observational study, similar rates of clinical cure and adherence were observed with cephalexin 500 mg dosed every 12 hours vs every 6 hours in patients with cystitis, calling into question whether QID (4 times per day) dosing is necessary. Cassandra Lopane, PharmD; Erica …

29-Year-Old With Pain After Foot Inversion

A 29-year-old man presents to urgent care on a Saturday with pain in his left foot after playing tennis. A series of x-rays is ordered. Review the images below and consider what your diagnosis and next steps would be. Resolution of the case is described on the following page. Differential Diagnosis Diagnosis The correct diagnosis is an avulsion fracture of the base of the 5th metatarsal. The x-ray shows transverse lucency at the base of …

27-Year-Old with History of Asthma

A 27-year-old female with history of asthma presents to urgent care on a Friday morning with dyspnea for 1 day. She denies palpitations, syncope, or chest pain. 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.

Provider Compensation Increasing Since 2022

By comparing 2022 and 2024 hourly compensation data from the Urgent Care Association (UCA) Clinician Compensation Benchmarking Report, data shows that there has been a 15% increase in nurse practitioner (NP) and physician assistant (PA) pay. Meanwhile, there was an average 19% increase in physician (MD and DO) pay.1 In 2024, the median reported hourly base compensation (excluding bonuses and incentives) showed an increase compared to 2022 rates across all clinician types. This rise likely …

It’s the Most Wonderful Time of the Year!

I hope you have had a wonderful holiday season and that your centers are full of patients…but also that you and your colleagues have managed to stay healthy! For the Urgent Care Association (UCA), the College of Urgent Care Medicine (CUCM), the Urgent Care College of Physicians (UCCOP), and the Urgent Care Foundation (UCF), Q1 is Urgent Care Convention ramp-up time, leading toward our favorite time of year when we all get to gather and …

Abstracts in Urgent Care – January 2025

Hematoma Blocks Effective for Closed Forearm Reduction Take Home Point: Hematoma blocks are an effective method of achieving analgesia to facilitate closed reduction of forearm fractures. Citation: Pitman G, Soeyland T, Popovic G, et al. Hematoma block is the most efficient technique for closed forearm fracture reduction: a retrospective cohort study. Emerg Med J. 2024; 41:595–601 Relevance: Adequate closed reduction of wrist and forearm fractures acutely after injury is important to reduce risk of complications …