Harris Fleming, Author at Journal of Urgent Care Medicine

If You’re Vexed by the Shortage of X-Ray Techs, You May Need to Get Creative

Physicians aren’t the only healthcare professionals in short supply across the United States. Urgent care centers have been wrestling with a dearth of x-ray technicians for some time now. Given that the ability to offer x-ray services is a distinguishing characteristic that sets urgent care apart from some other walk-in settings, this is a fairly significant problem. Some urgent care centers have had to come up with innovative solutions in order to keep patients satisfied. …

Could Opioid Use Disorder Be the Rare Condition Where Telemedicine Works for Urgent Care?

Many urgent care operators have tried to introduce telemedicine services as a way to help patients get care when there’s simply no other way. While it did just that for a lot of patients during the COVID-19 pandemic, few have found a way to make it work on an ongoing basis. That doesn’t mean there couldn’t be instances in which virtual care is a valid and useful option, however. One of those might include treatment …

Workplace Violence Is So Bad CMS Had to Remind Hospitals They Need to Protect Patients and Staff

JUCM News has reported on individual incidents of assaults on healthcare workers and patients periodically. Unfortunately, such events happen so often that the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services felt it necessary to issue a memorandum reminding hospital employers that they’re obligated to have measures in place to protect staff and patients from on-site violence. The background data may be surprising. Citing a report from the Bureau of Labor Statistics, CMS noted that 73% of …

As If RSV, COVID, and Flu Aren’t Enough, Another Viral Threat Is Emerging

We’ve told you about the very real threat of a tripledemic as the current influenza season progresses, new variants of COVID-19 continue to evolve, and record cases of respiratory syncytial virus occur in various states. Ohio is now wrestling with an additional—and surprising—viral entity. As of this writing, at least 46 cases of measles have been confirmed in children in the Columbus area, according to the city’s health department. There have been no fatalities, but …

The Threat of a Tripledemic Is Getting More Real—and Urgent Care Is on the Front Lines

In an average year, 35 states reporting “high” or “very high” levels of influenza would be concerning. In the 2022–23 flu season, with record levels of respiratory syncytial virus and new variants COVID-19 continuing to emerge, it’s downright alarming. That’s where we are, though, according to the latest Weekly U.S. Influenza Surveillance Report from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The situation is so dire in the Pacific Northwest that KOIN News invoked the …

When Communicating with Patients, Tone Matters—and the Wrong One Can Cost You

Whether it’s declining to prescribe an antibiotic you know isn’t necessary to a patient who insists that it is or working through a billing issue, conflicts with patients are going to arise in your urgent care center. And when they do, how the matter is handled can make the difference between having a respectful disagreement and getting blasted online (or worse). An extreme example is playing out across mainstream and social media right now, as …

A ‘Doctor’ by Any Other Name…Could Be Cause for Sanction

Nurses who go to the necessary lengths to earn their Doctor of Nursing Practice degree deserve to be addressed as “Dr.” in correspondence and when interacting with colleagues and patients. Apparently there’s a thin line between that and self-reference, however. As reported in a post on Nurse.org, a nurse practitioner who did earn her DNP has been fined $19,000 by the County of San Louis Obispo (California) District Attorney’s Office for calling herself “Dr. Sarah” …

Amazon Is Taking Another Run at Drawing Patients with Urgent Care Presentations

Let it never be said that Amazon isn’t persistent in its pursuit of relevance in the U.S. healthcare marketplace. What can be said is that the company has yet to hit on a concept that really works, despite years of trying. The latest effort is Amazon Clinic, which reflects a return to chasing success in the virtual space. (As we reported in August, the company plucked down $3.9 billion to buy One Medical and its …

Update: Amoxicillin and Clavulanate Products Will Continue to Be in Short Supply

JUCM News reported nearly a month ago on a scarcity of oral presentations of amoxicillin and clavulanate. Now, as we enter the season of large gatherings in close quarters, the American Society of Health-System Pharmacists reports that 29 products from Aurobindo, Hikma, Morton Grove Pharmaceuticals, Sandoz, and Teva are all continuing to report shortages for undisclosed reasons. Resupply dates vary by supplier, but across the board fulfilment could happen anywhere from late November to early …

The Early Winter Forecast: Chilly with a Chance of COVID

As temperatures fall in much of the United States new hospitalizations for COVID-19 are expected to start climbing again, according to projections from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. And, as reported in Becker’s Hospital Review, a forecast from the Mayo Clinic says we can expect a steep but short-lived 51.5% increase in new cases between now and December 2. It seems likely, then, that urgent care centers will see an increase in patients …