StuWilli, Author at Journal of Urgent Care Medicine

Amazon, Berkshire Hathaway, JPMorgan Chase Circle the Wagons to Cut Healthcare Costs

Three gigantic—and extremely wealthy—corporations are joining forces to try to lower what their leadership considers to be exorbitant healthcare costs. Amazon, Berkshire Hathaway, and JPMorgan Chase say they’re forming an “independent healthcare company” specifically for their employees—more than a million people, though not all are in the U.S. The new entity will focus on technological solutions to lower costs, simplify coverage, and increase transparency in employee healthcare. Berkshire Hathaway’s Warren Buffet says the triumvirate “does …

Successful Site Selection in Urgent Care

Urgent message: As a retail delivery channel for healthcare, success in urgent care depends on successfully executing the “retail” elements of the urgent care delivery model—the first of which is “location.” Alan A. Ayers, MBA, MAcc is Chief Executive Officer of Velocity Urgent Care and is Practice Management Editor of The Journal of Urgent Care Medicine. Urgent care differs from other types of medicine in that it adheres to a retail delivery model; successful urgent …

The Complementary Nature of Occupational Medicine and Urgent Care

As detailed in the first entry of our new occupational medicine series (Foundation of Occupational Medicine in the Urgent Care Setting, page 30), urgent care centers that offer occupational medicine services have reported the dual offerings are complementary in a way that helps balance the patient census and increase revenue. The data here, supplied by Dr. Max Lebow and reflecting Reliant Immediate Care in Los Angeles, illustrate that occ med visits tend to pick up …

Foundation of Occupational Medicine in the Urgent Care Setting

Urgent message: Much has been written about the integration of occupational medicine into urgent care practice. However, doing so successfully requires consideration of many important factors. This is the first in a series of articles that will examine occupational medicine in the urgent care setting from the financial and practice management viewpoint, with the aim of guiding the urgent care decision-maker and practitioner in the best practices of business and clinical occupational medicine practice. Max …

Injuries to the Upper Extremity Due to Falls on Outstretched Hands (FOOSH)

Urgent message: It is common for patients with injuries to the upper extremity due to falls on outstretched hands to present to urgent care. As such, evaluation, appropriate imaging, and initial treatment should all be within a clinic’s capabilities. Michael Bartuseck, MSN, ARNP, FNP-C, EP-C Introduction Urgent cares centers play an integral role in providing care for patients who have sustained injuries due to falls on outstretched hands (FOOSH). While complex anatomy of the wrist, …

Law Enforcement and Healthcare: When Consent, Privacy, and Safety Collide

Urgent message: Urgent care providers are likely to encounter law enforcement officers in the workplace at some point—and to be asked to comply with requests that may or may not violate a patient’s right to privacy, or compromise the urgent care center’s compliance with federal or state law or medical ethics. Understanding your legal rights and responsibilities is essential to fulfilling your obligations to both the patient and the law. Suzanne Cate Jones and Anne …

A 45-Year-Old Male with Sudden Eye Pain

A 45-year-old man presents with bilateral ocular pain, excessive tearing, and bloodshot eyes. He reports that his symptoms began 2 days ago with the sensation of a foreign body lodged in his eye, and that his eyes have been unusually sensitive to light. He has not worn his contacts since the onset of symptoms. View the photo and consider what your diagnosis and next steps would be. Resolution of the case is described on the …

Expectations Disease

There are a few things from residency training that resonated so profoundly for me that they permeate everything I have done since. I will never forget my first delivery, not because I thought I would ever deliver babies in my practice, but because of the emotional and enduring collision of medicine and nature it represented for me. And who can forget the 36-hour shifts (now extinct) that I am quick to recount for young clinicians …

Get the Most Out of Providing Medicare Wellness Exams

Q: Are there specific requirements for Medicare wellness exams and who can perform them? A: Medicare offers an initial preventive physical examination (IPPE), which is also known as the “Welcome to Medicare” preventive visit or the annual wellness visit (AWV). Either a physician (a doctor of medicine or osteopathy) or a qualified nonphysician practitioner (a physician assistant, nurse practitioner, or certified clinical nurse specialist) can provide the services. The IPPE is a one-time initial examination …

Neck Rash on a 21-year-old Male

Urgent message: Acanthosis nigricans has a strong association with obesity and insulin resistance. Assessment involves a thorough physical exam to differentiate from other dermatosis, as well as full workup for insulin resistance. Early diagnosis in the urgent care setting, and treatment, will improve the appearance of acanthosis nigricans, but also the patient’s overall morbidity. Shailendra Saxena, MD, PhD and Bao Chau Nguyen, BS Introduction A 21-year-old Caucasian male presented for a circumferential hyperpigmented rash around …