Practice Management
Many medical organizations, insurers, and state legislatures have responded to the ongoing opioid crisis by limiting the number of doses prescribed for acute pain at any one time. The bill just passed by the U.S. Senate, however, puts no limits on first-time prescriptions for opiates. That’s in contrast to earlier versions of the bill, which did seek to impose hard limits on opioid prescriptions. The American Medical Association, among other stakeholders, objected to the idea …
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An urgent care operator has accused Blue Cross Blue Shield of South Carolina of trying to restrict competition among urgent care centers by refusing to allow any new ones into its network in the Palmetto State—possibly due to a conflict of interest, they say. BCBS has called the anticompetition charge “an unfounded attack on the company’s integrity.” Nevertheless, state legislators Mike Burns and Bill Chumley see the urgent care operator’s point and have asked for …
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Urgent message: While the term “workaholic” has traditionally carried the stigma of addiction and resulting health concerns, new evidence suggests immersing yourself in work isn’t necessary a bad thing, if it’s something you love. Alan A. Ayers, MBA, MAcc is Chief Executive Officer of Velocity Urgent Care, LLC and is Practice Management Editor of The Journal of Urgent Care Medicine. Picture the workaholic in your life. We all know one. What comes to mind? Probably …
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The yin and yang of urgent care has always been thus: Patients recognize the need and value—as demonstrated by their reliance on locations in their community—while the healthcare establishment looks askance and comes up with reasons why the old-school doctor’s office is just fine. The New York Post, of all things, illustrated that dichotomy by publishing two stories that were unrelated, other than the urgent care connection, in a single edition recently. The story that …
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GoDocs Family Healthcare Center in South Boston, VA conducts a promotion every month in which it gives a prize of nominal value—a $50 gift card to a local restaurant, for example—to area residents who “like” their Facebook page, and share the post promoting the giveaway on their own Facebook page. When it became clear their area would be in the path of Hurricane Florence, however, the proprietors decided to step up and offer something of …
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Hurricane Florence came and went, with most national media claiming that the Carolinas got off relatively easy compared with the disaster that could have ensued. While that’s small comfort to those who lost loved ones or property, to be sure, the fact is that urgent care centers still have work to do to help local patients in the region. Just days ago, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention issued a Clinical Guidance urging clinicians …
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Fresh off a successful effort to stop a Massachusetts bill that would have imposed a tax on all urgent care charges, the North East Regional Urgent Care Association (NERUCA) is calling on urgent care providers, operators, and industry advocates to make their voices heard to fight a similarly onerous proposed bill in New Jersey. If passed by state legislators, Assembly Bill A4443 would, NERUCA warns, require annual licensure of urgent care centers; exclude urgent care …
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When a valued employee leaves your organization of their own free will, it costs your business money—at least 16% of the annual salary of that position, according to some surveys. First, you need to spend money recruiting, and then you lose efficiency while the new hire gets oriented. All the while, you have to start wondering who’s going to jump ship next. Or, you can do your best to ensure you keep the staff you …
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A new study just published in the Annals of Internal Medicine reveals that almost 30% of opioids prescribed in clinics and physicians’ office in the U.S. are written without a documented reason. Over 66% of the almost 809 million prescriptions written during outpatient visits over a 10-year period were for noncancer pain; just 5.1% were for cancer-related pain. There was no indication of pain or pain-related diagnoses for the other 28.5%. The lead author of …
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It’s been the belief of some urgent care operators and thought leaders that medical assistants are perfectly capable of handling many of the tasks registered nurses usually manage, at a lower cost to the operation’s payroll. Spectrum Health is now banking on it, as they’ve announced that RNs are being completely phased out of their clinics, with medical assistants picking up the majority of the work the RNs have been doing. The Grand Rapids, MI-based …
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