Practice Management
As previously reported in JUCM News, California is set to raise minimum wages for healthcare workers to $25—and that specifically includes urgent care employees. The new minimum wage law was signed by Gov. Gavin Newsom last week, and it allows pay hikes to phase in over time, beginning in June 2024 at $21 per hour, then rising to $22 per hour starting in June 2026, finally reaching $25 per hour in June 2027. Some organizations …
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Across the retail landscape, Rite Aid has appointed a new CEO and filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy with a restructuring plan to reduce its debt. The drugstore chain has been contending with declining sales, mounting debt, and multiple lawsuits related to the opioid epidemic, according to Yahoo News. Consequently, the company anticipates losses of $650-680 million by late February. What’s the outlook like? Rite Aid certainly has a lot of ground to cover. Larger rivals …
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Rates of new-onset type 2 diabetes increased by 62% and type 1 diabetes by 17% among US youth after the COVID-19 pandemic began, with a significant rise observed in Black and Hispanic populations, according to a study in JAMA Network Open. The study, conducted by Kaiser Permanente researchers, tracked diabetes rates among individuals 0 to 19 years old with no prior diabetes history from January 2016 to December 2021. The impact was particularly pronounced in: …
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The Administrative Rules Division of Michigan is recommending the state’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration adopt American Registry of Radiologic Technologists (ARRT) standards for staff members who take x-ray images. Currently, Michigan does not require specific training for non-exempted x-ray techs—being one of approximately 10 states that allows urgent care (UC) employers to provide their own on-the-job training. However, if the ARRT proposal is adopted, x-ray techs would need an associate’s degree from an approved …
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Federal researchers from the Agency on Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) posted a draft technical brief with the goal of establishing a standardized definition for primary care. AHRQ’s initiative aims to address the existing variability in definitions of what’s considered primary care to align research efforts that ultimately drive policy. AHRQ is looking at three factors: what type of provider is providing the care; where care is delivered; and types of services. A public comment …
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Retail pharmacy giant Walgreens is intensifying its expansion into provider services by launching virtual care in nine states that represent a large swath of its existing customer base, according to Fierce Healthcare. The on-demand telehealth service will cover common health needs, including urgent care services. Patients can schedule virtual consultations with healthcare professionals via chat or video. Notably, Walgreens will not accept insurance for these visits with most chat encounters priced at $33 and video …
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The American Heart Association introduced the concept of a new medical condition called cardiovascular-kidney-metabolic syndrome (CKM) in a recent article in Circulation. The rising incidence of multiple chronic health issues in younger Americans, particularly obesity, diabetes, and heart and kidney disease, calls for earlier diagnosis and risk assessment, the association says. The synergy between metabolic risk factors, such as abdominal fat, high blood pressure, high cholesterol, and elevated blood sugar, has long-term effects on health …
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Dollar General, with more than 19,000 retail stores, has entered into a strategic partnership with mobile medical services company DocGo. The plan is to deploy mobile clinics to rural areas where Dollar General has a foothold. Approximately 80% of Dollar General’s stores are located in towns with populations of fewer than 20,000 residents, which are typically areas short on clinicians as well. DocGo’s self-pay rates start at $69. On the ground, a pilot program in …
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This year’s Forbes list of the wealthiest Americans includes a class of 11 healthcare leaders, topped by Jeff Bezos, the founder of Amazon. The reason why Bezos—and his $161 billion bank account—qualifies in the healthcare category is because of Amazon’s recent acquisition of the primary care concierge-medicine provider One Medical. For $199 a year, One Medical members receive low-acuity services, labs, same-day appointments, and no-cost 24/7 access to virtual care. The company operates brick-and-mortar locations …
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Even after years of training programs, clarifications, and guidance, the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996 (HIPAA) continues to confuse healthcare professionals. A top 3 list presented in Physicians Practice outlines some cautions and misunderstandings about this comprehensive patient-protection law. Much of the list centers on proper protocol for workers in healthcare settings who might have access to the medical records of their fellow employees—in other words, “snooping behavior.” You can’t escape the …
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