Harris Fleming, Author at Journal of Urgent Care Medicine

Access to X-Rays in Urgent Care Is in Jeopardy. What Can You Do?

X-ray services are a key factor that distinguishes urgent care centers from other walk-in healthcare facilities. So, especially in the midst of a shortage of x-ray technologists (RTs) in general, anything that threatens UC’s ability to offer imaging services could without exaggeration be viewed as a threat to the industry’s place in the healthcare system. The most current controversy is going on in Ohio, where the RT lobby is opposing a change in legislation that …

Evidence Mounts That Urgent Care May Have a Place in the Ongoing Mental Health Crisis

Like x-ray technologists, physicians, and advanced-practice providers, mental health professionals are harder to find all the time—leaving the country mired in a mental health crisis. Patients have to wait weeks or longer to get help when they’re at their most vulnerable. As JUCM News readers know, urgent care has been mentioned frequently as a possible venue to help defuse the situation, though exactly how that could work on a widespread basis has yet to be …

‘Choosing Wisely’ Works to Reduce Inappropriate Antibiotic Prescribing

Depending on which data you put the most stick in, anywhere from one quarter to half of all prescriptions for antibiotics are inappropriate. The Urgent Care Association, health systems, individual practices, and various medical societies have all launched initiative to help curb that bad habit and reduce risk for associated deaths from drug-resistant infections. As reported by UCLA Health, one such initiative, Choosing Wisely—launched by the American Board of Internal Medicine more than 10 years …

Another Twist in the Ongoing Saga of Sports-Related Concussion ‘Best Practices’

Recommended management of concussion in athletes of any level seem to change as frequently as sports seasons do. Here’s the latest: According to a statement published by the British Journal of Sports Medicine, while there is no benefit to absolute rest for concussed patients, reduction in physical activity for the first 2 days after the injury is advisable. After that, however, there’s no benefit to that, either. In fact, according to the authors, the latest …

As the Season Turns, so Does the Look of Your Patients’ Complaints. Are You Prepared?

School’s out (or about to be), the days are long, and workers are counting the days until their summer vacation. It’s all fun and games until someone has to go to urgent care. At that point, you and your team need to be prepared for a different slate of illness and injury than you’ve been seeing since last fall began. Slip-and-fall injuries and flu will largely be replaced with bites, rashes, the ill effects of …

A ‘Wonder Drug’ Comes Under Scrutiny from Payers

On paper, Ozempic (semaglutide) is indicated to help improve glycemic control in adults with type 2 diabetes and reduce risk of cardiovascular events in patients with type 2 diabetes and established cardiovascular disease. Its acclaim in the media and popular culture, however, is much more focused on its corresponding weight loss benefits. Consequently, off-label prescriptions have soared—to the extent that payers are now scrutinizing prescriptions written for patients who are not diabetic. As noted in …

Drive-Thru Urgent Care May Solve Parking Woes, but Will Patients Take It Seriously?

When the idea of drive-thru pharmacies came up in the 90s, pharmacists hated the idea, with many convinced that it diminished the image of their profession. Many likened patients driving up to receive their prescriptions to the fast-food industry. Now dedicated lanes of traffic and dispensing windows are a common sight. Could that work for urgent care, though? According to an article published by Atlanta Inno, we’re about to find out. Viral Solutions, an Atlanta …

Walmart Tries a More Focused, Less Ambitious Approach to Cracking the Healthcare Market

JUCM News know that Walmart has been throwing the proverbial spaghetti at the wall to see what sticks as they struggle to break the U.S. healthcare marketplace. Besides traditional retail clinics, the company has spent generously in trying to gain a foothold in telehealth and even medical research. They’ve also tried to buy into the primary care space in a significant way. The latter seems to be the object of the company’s attention again, though …

Now Drugstores Are Pitching ‘Talk Therapy.’ How Far from Primary Care Will They Go?

As JUCM News readers know, after years of spending billions on initiatives to break into the primary care market, retail drug chains have taken one step after another in the opposite direction. Just last week we pointed you to an article published by Home Health Care News that revealed home care has become the flavor of the month for some chains. Well, it may literally be the same month but there’s already another flavor on …

LGBTQI+ Patients and Team Members Are Looking for Your Support. Is It There to Be Seen?

Patients who are part of the LGBTQI+ communities are notoriously underserved by the healthcare industry in the United States. You’re probably already aware of that. Have you considered, however, that actually demonstrating your support for such patients could also go a long way toward building loyalty, goodwill, and security among staff members? To that end, the Urgent Care Association is choosing Pride Month, which is observed every June, to make the urgent care industry aware …