Harris Fleming, Author at Journal of Urgent Care Medicine

Diabetes Will Grow for the Foreseeable Future. How Many Patients Will Be Headed to UC?

The number of people living with diabetes across the globe is expected to double in the coming decades, ultimately exceeding 1.3 billion by the year 2050. As reported by MedPage Today, data presented at the American Diabetes’ Society’s annual Scientific Sessions age-standardized global diabetes prevalence will jump from 6.1% to 9.8% thanks largely to unchecked increases in body mass index and social determinants of health. Limiting complications will require both better care and expanded access …

Dozens of Hospitals Are Curtailing Services. Will Patients Turn to Urgent Care Instead?

IU Health Blackford Hospital in Hartford City, IN is closing its emergency room and is going to stop offering inpatient services. In Philadelphia, Jefferson Health will cease acute care and emergency services. St. Mark’s Medical Center in La Grange, TX is cutting inpatient and orthopedic services. All told, according to a new report from Becker’s CFO Report, as of June 30 there are 42 U.S. hospital closing departments or otherwise ending services. While at least …

As Goes the Respiratory Season, so Goes Patient Volume—Which Is Especially Problematic for Retail

It’s self-explanatory that high incidence of seasonal respiratory conditions and infections equate to higher patient volumes and related revenue. Consequently, overdependence on those levels to maintain financial viability is perilous, to say the least. While this is a concern in urgent care, in the retail drugstore business where over-the-counter remedies account for a significant portion of the profit margin, it can be a make-or-break proposition. Just look at what Walgreens is going through right now. …

Hot Sun, Parties, Fireworks…What Could Possibly Go Wrong on July 4 (and Are You Ready for It)?

There are some holidays during which revelry is more likely to lead to a trip to the urgent care center or emergency room than others. You probably don’t need to prep your team for a flood of patients on Arbor Day, but Independence Day is another matter. Backyard barbecues where the beer is flowing and inattentive chefs are manning the grill, amateur firework displays, and too many hours baking in the sun can leave many …

New Data on HIV Infection Are Underwhelming—and Highlight the Need for Urgent Care Involvement

While it may sound like progress that the rate of new HIV infections fell by 12% between 2017 and 2021, as reported by the Journal of the American Medical Association that actually puts the United States behind its self-prescribed pace to achieve a 90% reduction by 2030. Testing for HIV, advances in treatment, and expanded use of preexposure prophylaxis (PrEP) have all been cited as contributors to the downward trend. Logically, that would seem to …

Social Media Was a Hostile Environment for Providers Before the Pandemic. It’s Worse Now

Twitter, Instagram, Facebook…all social media platforms, actually, tend to bring out their users’ most volatile tendencies. And the COVID-19 pandemic seemed to magnify the problem, according to the results of a survey published by JAMA Network Open. Pre-pandemic, one survey found that 23.3% of physicians reported being “attacked” on social media, most often due to views they expressed concerning firearms, vaccinations, and abortion access. Now, however, 88% of the 359 physicians who met the inclusion …

Dunkin’, Popeyes, and Urgent Care May Be Strange Bedfellows, but at Least One Franchiser Doesn’t Mind

A Florida franchise brands company that up to now has made its mark by buying reliable food franchises like Dunkin’, Baskin-Robbins, and Popeyes Louisiana Kitchen just stepped way outside the box by taking on six existing American Family Care clinics in the Tampa area. According to an article published by the Business Observer, Purple Square Management also plans to open 18 more locations in the region over the next 5 years. Purple Square’s other holdings …

When Seasonal Crises Occur, Make Sure the Community Knows You’re There to Help

Texans know it’s going to be hot once June rolls around. What they don’t expect is for longstanding records for high temperatures to be broken multiple days running across the state. They’re not alone, though; according to the National Weather Service, New Mexico, Oklahoma, Arkansas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama, and Florida are all experiencing higher-than-normal temperatures for this time of year. With any extreme weather conditions, of course, comes an increase in related health crises—in this …

Like General Urgent Care, Pediatric UC Is Now Drawing Major Capital Investment

As JUCM and JUCM News readers know, urgent care has become the darling of venture capitalists’ collective eye in recent years (see Why Private Equity and Other ‘Smart Money’ Is Bullish on Brick-and-Mortar Urgent Care in the JUCM archive). It shouldn’t be surprising, then, that more niche segments of the industry are also gaining attention from eager healthcare investors. PM Pediatric Care just announced that it secured $50 million from Jefferson River Capital as part …

False Claims Charges Can Have Heavy Financial Consequences Whether You’re Guilty or Not

Urgent care operators as a whole put considerable attention on ensuring that their coding and claims procedures are pristine. It’s not just a matter of economic survival through ensuring the practice gets the reimbursements they deserve, but also an existential imperative; practices that fail to demonstrate due diligence in seeking that reimbursement face potentially catastrophic financial consequence. Even the appearance of noncompliance with proper procedures can raise red flags and sink a perfectly healthy operation. …