Practice Management
The arrest of a physician assistant on federal drug charges is a reminder that urgent care operators need to be vigilant for illegal prescribing practices or face the consequences. The PA, himself the operator of a pair of urgent care centers in Riverhead, NY, has been charged with conspiring to distribute oxycodone illegally. The US Justice Department, Drug Enforcement Administration, and local, county, and state law enforcement allege the PA issued prescriptions for thousands of …
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Luke Hart will share a “holistic perspective” on thriving in the urgent care marketplace during a live webinar hosted by the Urgent Care Association (UCA) Thursday, November 19 at 1 pm, Central. In Getting Out of Your Own Way—Learn to Manage and Lead Effectively, the former urgent care CEO will focus on implementable tools to help participants define and reshape operational structures, optimize staff communications, and devise a positive work environment. The cost is $50 …
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Hospital Corporation of America (HCA) is doubling down on its stake in the Las Vegas healthcare market by buying 14 urgent care centers owned there by Urgent Care Extra. The deal includes six more urgent care centers currently under development in Nevada. HCA already has four hospitals and four surgery centers in the area by virtue of owning Sunrise Health Systems. Based in Nashville, TN, HCA now operates 65 urgent care centers in 20 states, …
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When researchers at Entrepreneur magazine crunched the data in its Entrepreneur360 Performance Index, urgent care provider American Family Care (AFC) emerged as one of the top entrepreneurial companies in the U.S. The magazine cites AFC’s growth, sustainability, and ability to achieve lasting success for its inclusion in the list. AFC founder and CEO Bruce Irwin, MD says an entrepreneurial spirit is a “key facet” of the company, which tries to balance accelerating growth with a …
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Two weeks ago, we told you visits to urgent care centers were expected to approach 177 million visits this year. Now we learn those visits are fueling economic growth that will carry the urgent care market’s value to $30.5 billion by the end of 2020, according to Transparency Market Research (TMR), a global market intelligence company. TMR says urgent care’s typically lower cost vs the emergency room and growing number of locations make it an …
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Urgent message: Burn injuries present with varying degrees of involvement and severity. It is vital that providers in an urgent care facility understand burn classification, treatments, and, most important, which burn patients can be treated in an outpatient setting and which patients require a higher level of care. DREW LONG, BS, BRIT LONG, MD, and ALEX KOYFMAN, MD Introduction Burn injuries are often devastating and are a leading cause of accidental injury and trauma in …
Read MoreQ. What is the best way to code for and bill patients who come in because they are planning to travel out of the country and need to know what immunizations they should have before traveling? We advise them on preventive measures to take in relation to where they are traveling, provide literature if appropriate, and even try to find health-care facilities close to where they will be staying while abroad. I know we can …
Read MoreHypertonic Saline in Bronchiolitis Key point: Consider using hypertonic saline for bronchiolitis.Citation: Zhang L, Mendoza-Sassi RA, Klassen TP, Wainwright C. Nebulized hypertonic saline for acute bronchiolitis: a systematic review. Pediatrics. 2015;136:687–701. Bronchiolitis continues to be difficult to treat despite its high prevalence. With the exception of nasal bulb suction, few techniques have shown significant benefit, to the frustration of both patients’ parents and health-care providers. A Cochrane Review suggested that hypertonic saline (HS) may benefit …
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Urgent message: Although the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act expands health insurance coverage to millions of previously uninsured, many of the newly insured grapple with lack of access to quality, on-demand care, which leads to increased emergency department use. Urgent care provides a solution for health systems to expand access, reduce the number of unnecessary emergency department visits, and realize the goal of integrated population health management. MICHAEL F. BOYLE, MD, MBA, FACEP Introduction …
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Urgent message: Urgent care physicians often encounter patients with masses in the mouth. If they are aware of the existence of toripalatinus and know how to treat them, they can reassure patients who may mistake this benign, congenital bony growth for cancer. JOSHUA WILSON, MS3, and SHAILENDRA SAXENA, MD, PhD Introduction Urgent care and primary-care physicians often must evaluate masses within the mouth. These masses commonly originate from the submandibular or sublingual gland, but a …
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