Ashley Blachford, Author at Journal of Urgent Care Medicine

Panel Recommends Treatments for Pediatric Vitiligo

A clinical panel recently issued dozens of recommendations for treating vitiligo in pediatric, adolescent, and young adult patients, as published in a consensus statement in JAMA Dermatology. The main conclusions point out that topical calcineurin inhibitors, topical corticosteroids, and topical Janus kinase inhibitors are effective treatments for vitiligo in these age groups. Treatment decisions should also consider factors such as the location of vitiligo, body surface area affected, age, and other patient-specific factors. Perhaps a …

Nevada Doc Launches Mobile Pediatric Care

A pediatrician hit the road recently with Incredicare, a mobile pediatric urgent care that serves 4 communities in the Las Vegas area. Incredicare was founded by Robert Wilkinson, MD, a dual-boarded physician in general pediatrics and pediatric emergency medicine who serves as the medical director of the pediatric emergency department at Summerlin Hospital. Four nurse practitioners also see patients in the colorful mobile clinic vehicle that’s decorated with a cartoon bear. Services include the typical …

Program Seeks Clever Cyberattack Patches for Health Devices

Federal leaders are increasing their efforts to address healthcare cyberattacks, hard on the heels of the recent Change Healthcare and Ascension breeches. A $50 million program was announced this week to encourage the development of practical tech tools that would effectively disconnect healthcare devices such as heart monitors and electrocardiogram machines when needed then fix the weakness before bringing the machines back online. The aim is to identify vulnerabilities and customize patches that could be …

In Maryland, Supervised Staff Can Now Capture X-Rays

Maryland has finalized licensure-exception legislation to create a limited-scope x-ray technologist role that urgent care centers can now leverage to help extend the services their staff can provide. No license is required, but there are some criteria techs must meet, such as clinical experience, hours of training, and supervision by a licensed physician or radiologic technologist. The good news is that the staff who qualify can capture x-rays for almost any common concern, including spine, …

New HPV Screen Allows for Simplified Patient Self-Collection

The Food and Drug Administration has approved a testing protocol that allows patients to collect their own vaginal samples for human papillomavirus (HPV) screening in healthcare settings—including urgent care. It’s significant because it allows for HPV primary testing without the need for a traditional Pap smear performed with a speculum. The self-collected samples must still be sent to labs for analysis. While a Pap smear can potentially detect abnormalities in the cervix, the new HPV …

Ascension Wrestling With Cyberattack

Ascension Healthcare, with 140 hospitals and more than 50 urgent cares in 19 states, was impacted by a cyberattack earlier this month, forcing ambulances to divert and pharmacies to shut down. The system disconnected from its Epic EHR, which caused long emergency department wait times and care delays. Ascension has not given a timeline for when its systems will be fully restored, according to Healthcare Dive on its cyberattack state-by-state tracker. How much: When Change …

Patients Do Well With Hypertension Self-Care

A randomized clinical trial of 219 patients with uncontrolled hypertension showed in a secondary analysis that self-management programs including home blood pressure monitoring and self-titration of antihypertensive medication resulted in good outcomes. Published in JAMA Network Open, the study found significant reduction in systolic blood pressure (adjusted mean difference, −3.4 mm Hg) and diastolic blood pressure (adjusted mean difference, −2.5 mm Hg) at 24 months. What’s more, patients had no increase in the use of …

Semaglutide Keeps Weight Off For Years

Yet another study is underscoring the benefits of semaglutide, as published in Nature Medicine this week. In a cardiovascular outcomes trial involving 17,604 adults with preexisting cardiovascular disease, overweight, or obesity without diabetes, semaglutide showed a 20% reduction in major adverse cardiovascular events. Those treated with semaglutide sustained weight loss for up to 4 years. Authors say improvements in cardiovascular risk factors can begin with weight loss of just 5%, and in the study, semaglutide was …

Keeping an Eye on the H5N1 Virus

The H5N1 avian flu virus is spreading in dairy cows across the country, however, the risk of human-to-human transmission is rare. Because the virus is spreading so rapidly, scientists are considering wastewater sampling for surveillance, according to CIDRAP. Baylor College of Medicine and the University of Texas Health Sciences Center researchers reported 19 of 23 monitored wastewater sites had at least 1 result of H5N1 detected in wastewater from March 4 to April 25. It’s …

UCs in NY Can No Longer Require Credit Cards Kept on File

The North East Regional Urgent Care Association (NERUCA) Governmental Affairs Committee recently notified members via email about a freshly minted New York budget rule that includes provisions that effectively prohibit urgent care (UC) operators from requiring patients to leave credit card information on file for payment. Most UCs require a card on file so they can collect the appropriate out-of-pocket responsibility after claims adjudication. However, the new law, General Business Law 519-a, essentially eliminates any …