bnapolitano, Author at Journal of Urgent Care Medicine

Point of Care Ultrasound (POCUS) in Urgent Care

Urgent message: Once a rarity in the urgent care setting, point-of-care ultrasound imaging capabilities are on the rise in our industry. Falling prices and increased portability provide new opportunities to manage more patients on site, facilitating better outcomes and higher patient satisfaction for many. James Hicks, MD The Case An 85-year-old resident of an assisted-living facility presents to the urgent care center in early autumn with complaints of wheezing. Staff are concerned that she …

Be Prepared: There’s No End in Sight for the Toxic Tide Sickening Floridians

For weeks now—predating Hurricane Michael—a toxic “red tide” has been plaguing communities in the Florida panhandle. Schools are canceling some outdoor activities, and classrooms are emptying as urgent care centers are filling up all over Brevard County and beyond. Environmentalists and public health officials in the area say they have no reason to think it’s going to abate any time soon. Until it does, they expect to continue seeing scores of dead fish wash ashore …

As Flu Visits to Urgent Care Start to Climb, FDA Clears a New Treatment

For the first time in two decades, the Food and Drug Administration has approved use of a new drug to treat acute uncomplicated influenza in patients 12 years of age and older who have been symptomatic for ≤48 hours. While that’s great news in the wake of last year’s rough flu season, urgent care providers must be aware of the need for timely diagnosis—and pass that message along to patients. With less than 2 days …

Anthem Policy Should Direct More Patients to Urgent Cares—if You Seize the Opportunity

One out of every six patients who visit an emergency room could see denied claims—and a whopping hospital bill—if a retrospective review policy imposed by Anthem not long ago were adopted by other insurers. A study just published in JAMA Network found that 15.7% of ED visits by commercially insured adults could result in denial of the claim on the grounds that presenting symptoms were found to be nonemergent after the fact. The researchers considered …

Can the HEART Score Guide Next Steps for Urgent Care Patients Presenting with Chest Pain?

The words chest pain get the immediate attention of clinicians in any practice setting, including urgent care. The question of calculating risk for a major event is not quite as clear-cut, however. One assessment tool, the HEART Score for Major Adverse Cardiac Events (MACE), has been validated to predict 6-week risk of major adverse cardiac events in patients 21 years of age and older presenting with symptoms suggestive of acute coronary syndrome. Michael Weinstock, MD, led a live …

Urgent Care Grows in Massachusetts, but ED Visits Are Still Driving Up Healthcare Costs

As in other parts of the country, the number of urgent care centers and other walk-in facilities continues to grow in Massachusetts. That’s great news for our industry, but the potential for urgent care to positively affect healthcare spending there has yet to be fulfilled. The problem, also as in some other parts of the country, is that too many people are still going to the emergency room for nonemergent complaints, according to the Commonwealth’s …

Repurposing Urgent Care X-Ray Machines in Support of a Safe Halloween

A good scare can be part of the fun on Halloween. For kids, it’s most likely due to the spirit of the season or that one neighbor whose decorations are always a little over-the-top. For parents, though, the fear may be over concerns that their children will receive treats tainted with pins, razor blades, or worse while they’re canvassing the neighborhood in costume. Velocity Urgent Care is offering to scan candy using their x-ray machines …

Warn Parents: Don’t Let Young Children with a Cold Have Decongestants

Especially now that flu season is upon us, nervous parents may be visiting urgent care centers with children who are suffering from a cold out of concern that it could be influenza. Relieved as they may be to learn that it’s “just” a cold, urge Mom and Dad to let their offspring ride out the symptoms instead of giving them decongestants. Children under 6 years of age should not take decongestants at all, and parents …

Does Your Urgent Care Need a Chaperone Policy?

Urgent message: In today’s world of flying accusations of personal misconduct, having a clearly defined (and followed) chaperone policy helps protect both providers and patients. Alan A. Ayers, MBA, MAcc is Chief Executive Officer of Velocity Urgent Care and is Practice Management Editor for The Journal of Urgent Care Medicine. In light of the recent explosion of sexual assault and abuse allegations being made across the country, many medical practices have turned to chaperones as …

Urgent Care Group Continues Carolinas Buying Spree

You may recall reading here just weeks ago that Urgent Care Group (UCG), backed by a pair of investment firms, was buying seven MEDcare Urgent Care locations in South Carolina. UCG now plans to nearly double that number by acquiring Medac Urgent Care, with its six urgent care centers and one occupational medicine location in North Carolina for an undisclosed sum. UCG has partnered with Capital Alignment Partners and Harbert Management on both deals.