Practice Management
When the Northeast Regional Urgent Care Association Government Affairs team recognized the hazards that proposed legislation in New York posed for urgent care, they jumped into action to mobilize members to speak out. And it worked. According to a mass email from NERUCA Government Affairs Chair Jonathan S. Halpert, MD, FACEP to members and urgent care stakeholders, New York Gov. Kathy Hochul’s office received thousands of telephone calls and emails protesting a proposed bill that …
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On the surface, it seems like the kind of event that has become commonplace in urgent care: A large, national company buys an existing business, or a piece of one, to bolster its presence and profitability. Concentra’s acquisition of PhysicianOne’s occupational health business in Connecticut could have more far-reaching implications for the industry as a whole, however. With high workers compensation fees, robust volume, and a dense footprint, Connecticut is already one of the most …
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First they hired a physician to serve as chief medical officer. Then they brought on another MD who had previously served as CMO for Walgreens. Now they’re sending out vans to store parking lots, where healthcare providers will offer many services typically available in drugstore clinics and urgent care centers. We should mention that the “they” in those sentences does not refer to an up-and-coming pharmacy clinic provider or a big-box store. It refers to …
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Much is made of differences perceived among patients born into one generation or another—Gen Xers do this, Millennials don’t want that…. There’s more to it than simplified stereotypes, though. According to an article recently published by Becker’s Hospital Review, reaching Generation Z patients and motivating them to visit urgent care when they have healthcare needs may require you to adapt your offerings, or at least your messaging. Drawn from research conducted by the management consulting …
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Montana has joined the growing number of states to consider expanding the authority pharmacists have to make clinical decisions and direct care. As reported by Kaiser Health News, the state’s Senate Public Health, Welfare and Safety Committee recommended a bill that would allow pharmacists to generate and supply prescription refills, along with originating prescriptions for medications and devices in certain situations. The bill has gained support on the rationale that, like many areas, Montana is …
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We’re no mathematicians, but the odds of a vehicle crashing through the front door of an urgent care center have go to be awfully slim. And yet, it happens—very recently in Tiffin, OH, in fact. As reported by The Advertiser-Tribune there, a driver hit the accelerator instead of the brake when pulling into a parking space in front of the clinic. No one was injured. However, believe it or not, in addition to having to …
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There’s no debating that urgent care has had many ups and downs, as well as constant evolution since its inception. What started with entrepreneurial providers essentially creating a new way to practice medicine has revolutionized healthcare. Ownership structures have evolved right along with the industry, with hospital systems and venture capitalists recognizing the financial benefits, as well. It was inevitable, then, that the idea of franchising urgent care centers would come at some point. Forbes …
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The COVID-19 era has had a profound, deleterious effect on healthcare providers’ level of happiness in their work and in life, according to Medscape’s 2023 Physician Lifestyle and Happiness Report. Prepandemic, they were a pretty happy bunch, with 84% saying they were “somewhat” or “very” happy in their lives outside of work. Now, though, according to the report, only 58% can say that. There was a similar drop relating to work, specifically, too. Previously, 75% …
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If you read the opinion piece implying that urgent care is somehow complicit in the lowering life expectancy in the United States, written by a first-year medical student and published by a medical news service last week, you were probably struck by the flood of misinformation and misguided notions it contained. For example, the author took issue with some urgent care operators’ messaging to their surrounding communities. “UCCs in some cases still market themselves as …
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Founded by entrepreneurial physicians, the urgent care industry has always possessed a pioneering spirit. That has served the industry well and fueled growth and evolution even during tough times (like the COVID-19 pandemic, most recently). Recognizing that it takes true thought leaders to drive both innovation and clinical excellence throughout, the Urgent Care Foundation has announced the latest class of Industry Award recipients, all of whom will be honored at the 2023 Urgent Care Convention …
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