When the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention updated their running count of data related to COVID-19 on December 7, a couple of subtle messages highly relevant to the urgent care provider stood out. Yes, the headlines went to the dramatic spike in cases, hospitalizations, and ICU admissions. However, the data also reveal something that emerged in Incidence of SARS-CoV-2 in Preoperative Patients Tested in an Urgent Care Setting, the original research articles featured on …
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Making Antibiotic Resistance Awareness a Priority—A COVID-Created Opportunity
It’s a conversation I’ve had endless times. One that I’ve honed and refined stepwise over time, and one that my patients often tell me they hadn’t considered before: the appropriate use and overuse of antibiotics. And right now, with patients hyper-focused on healthy immune systems, medical providers are uniquely positioned to build antibiotic stewardship into our diagnostic process and significantly increase resistance awareness nationwide. Process and Priorities A year ago, my approach to sharing a …
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A 28-Year-Old Male with Fever and Difficulty Swallowing
The patient is a 28-year-old man who presents with 3 days of progressive fever (101.2⁰F) and difficulty swallowing. View the image taken and consider what your diagnosis and next steps would be.
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When It’s More Than Just A Cough
Urgent message: Take vital signs and physical examination of the chest with the utmost importance when evaluating a patient with a cough. The common complaint of “cough” in the urgent care setting can be a symptom of a life-threatening pathology. Frank Schaller, DNP, APRN, FNP-C and Lauren Dunn, MSN, APRN, FNP-C INTRODUCTION Cough is a common complaint across healthcare settings including the emergency department (ED), urgent care, and primary care arenas—especially during influenza season.1 Cough …
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Urgent Care Provider Awareness of the Canadian Computed Tomography Head Rule: A Descriptive Cross-Sectional Survey Study
Urgent message: As visits to urgent care after possible traumatic brain injury continue to rise, so does the importance of understanding which patients require a CT scan. Assessing the value of the Canadian Computed Tomography Head Rule in making that determination can raise the urgent care provider’s ability to make informed decisions in this regard, reducing the risk of unnecessary radiation exposure in patients who are determined to not need a CT. Jessicah Ray, DHSc, …
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A 24-Year-Old Man with Excessively Odorous and Itchy feet
The patient is a 24-year-old man who presents with excessive foot odor that he describes as “worse than anything I could have imagined.” He denies pain or burning, but reports that the soles of his feet itch occasionally. He also says his feet sweat heavily when he plays recreational ice hockey a few nights a week. Upon examination, several shallow rounded pits are found on the pressure-bearing areas of the soles. View the image …
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A 48-Year-Old Female with Months of Fatigue, Nausea, and Body Aches—Including Chest Pain
The patients is a 48-year-old female with a family history of breast cancer who complains of 2 months of fatigue, nausea, and generalized body aches, including chest pain. She reports 40 pounds of unintentional weight loss during this time. Review the ECG taken and consider what other tests you would order, as well as possible diagnoses. (Case presented by Tom Fadial, MD, McGovern Medical School Department of Emergency Medicine.)
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A 52-Year-Old Male with Upper Arm Pain and Swelling of No Known Origin
The patient is a 52-year-old male who presents with a chief complaint of 1 month of right shoulder pain. View the image taken and consider what your diagnosis and next steps would be.
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What’s New for RCM? Updates on Coding for COVID-19 Testing
As lab testing for COVID-19 continues to evolve, new products—and new CPT codes—continue to emerge. The latest tests combine COVID-19 testing with a test for influenza A and B. There are two types: one includes the polymerase chain reaction (PCR) test, the other includes the antigen test. The new CPT codes are: 87636 Infectious agent detection by nucleic acid (DNA or RNA); severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) (Coronavirus disease [COVID-19]) and influenza virus …
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New Lawsuits Re-examine Prescribing of PrEP in Urgent Care
Urgent message: Urgent care providers should take note of emerging class-action lawsuits when helping patients decide if PrEP (pre-exposure prophylaxis for HIV) is right for them. Alan A. Ayers, MBA, MAcc is Chief Executive Officer of Velocity Urgent Care Few diseases ravage the body like HIV. As such, the healthcare world has been working for decades to develop treatments and methods to protect patients against it. One of the most promising treatments is pre-exposure prophylaxis …
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