Practice Management
Vermont Gov. Phil Scott just signed a new law into effect that requires residents of the state to carry health insurance. Details of the law, which will take effect January 1, 2020, are still being worked out by a special commission. One such detail is the nature of the penalty for those who don’t comply with the law. Advocates say it won’t necessarily be a financial one, yet no other possible consequences have been disclosed …
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More than one insurer has tried to dissuade plan members from going to the emergency room by threatening to stick them with the bill if their visit proves (after the fact) to have been nonemergent. The urgent care industry has also put a good deal of effort into trying to educate the public as to when they really need to be in the ED and when it makes more sense, both logistically and economically, to …
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Recent suicides by high-profile celebrities are a reminder that most of us never know what struggles someone is dealing with. While it may be especially surprising when the person is someone the public perceives to “have it all,” a new report from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reveals that suicide is far too common, and becoming more so. There was a 25% increase in suicide between 1999 and 2016 in the United States, …
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Most of your urgent care patients—and prospective patients—would never even think of visiting your location unless they really need to see a clinician today and they can’t get in to see their primary care provider. Seasonal promotions can be a great way to change that, though, giving you an opportunity to introduce them to your services at a time they’re not feeling their worst. American Family Care (AFC) is doing just that by offering a …
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The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says Salmonella outbreaks in Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Missouri, and Ohio could have all been caused by precut melons purchased at Costco, Kroger, Walmart and Whole Foods. Taking a step back along the supply chain, the CDC conjectures they could have all come from a Caito Food facility in Indiana. Caito has issued a recall notice for Georgia, Illinois, Kentucky, Michigan, Missouri, North Carolina, and Ohio. The Food and …
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Urgent message: Recent high-profile sexual harassment allegations in Hollywood and Washington beg the question as to whether urgent care operators should proactively adopt a policy addressing sexual harassment. Alan Ayers, MBA, MAcc is Chief Executive Officer of Velocity Urgent Care and is Practice Management Editor of The Journal of Urgent Care Medicine. The #MeToo movement has been sweeping the nation as of late, impacting Hollywood and Washington, DC in immense ways. However, the push against …
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They say it’s never a bad time for a good idea. And right now, opening a new urgent care center is a very good idea—and you can discover why, and how to move forward, by attending the next webinar hosted by the Urgent Care Association on Thursday, June 14, from 1 to 2 pm, Central. In Now is a Great Time to Open a New Urgent Care, speaker David Stern, MD will walk attendees through …
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JUCM, The Journal of Urgent Care Medicine has led the way in bringing original, peer-reviewed clinical and practice management content to the urgent care industry since 2006. Now the best has gotten even better by redesigning its website to offer better mobile access, easier navigation and search functions, and the ability to download every print issue ever published in its history. In addition to its award-winning print issues, JUCM will continue to offer web-exclusive content, …
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As the weather turns warmer and schools start letting out, urgent care centers can expect to see more patients presenting with certain illness and injuries—some of which can be deadly. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention just issued a report noting there were 493 outbreaks of waterborne diseases—many of them related to recreational waters—between 2000 and 2014, including 27,219 illnesses and eight fatalities. Up to a third of the outbreaks could be traced back …
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ChoiceOne/MedSpring, operators of more than 60 urgent care centers around the country, and life sciences company Quadrant Biosciences have entered a partnership to offer a new brain health assessment service at existing locations in Maryland and Texas. Called ClearEdge, the system was developed with experts at SUNY Upstate Medical University. It essentially packages together an array of functional assessments designed to monitor and track subtle changes in cognitive function, balance, and patient symptoms over time. …
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