StuWilli, Author at Journal of Urgent Care Medicine

New Approaches to Opioid Abuse Zero in on Physicians

As researchers and legislators in some states consider restrictions on physicians to write prescriptions for opioid pain medications, new research indicates there could be a way to continue prescribing safely—albeit a way that is likely to raise some eyebrows. First, in Indiana, the state hospital association, medical association, and health department have pooled their resources to create guidelines for physicians in the state. In a nutshell, they’re advising physicians to cut back on prescribing opioids …

FDA Recommends Scaling Down X-rays for Children

The Food and Drug Administration has issued a new guidance suggesting there should be something of a kids’ menu for imaging, one that employs the lowest dose of radiation possible when imaging younger patients (or avoids x-rays altogether, if feasible). “Pediatric patients generally require less radiation than adults to obtain a quality image from an x-ray exam, so doctors must take extra care to ‘child size’ the radiation dose,” the FDA said in a statement. …

Attention, Provider: You Can Be Sued for HIPAA Violations in Some States

Connecticut is the latest state to decide that healthcare providers can be sued for breaches of patient confidentiality under the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996 (HIPAA). The Connecticut Supreme Court set the precedent when it decided that one patient’s breach of confidentiality and negligence claims against a provider could move forward. In essence, the decision paves the way for patients to use HIPAA as a standard of care and to sue providers …

Prepare for—and Educate Patients About—‘Other’ Seasonal Complaints

Influenza tends to get all the headlines at this time of year, but that doesn’t mean it’s the only seasonal complaint patients are likely to present with at urgent care centers. Frigid temperatures and icy roadways and sidewalks are sending many patients to healthcare providers in multiple settings. Local newspapers in the Davenport, IA area recently noted that nearly 300 people were treated for falls and other weather-related hazards over the space of a couple …

New Research Sees Urgent Care Market Hitting $30.5 Billion in 3 Years

The growing geriatric population in the U.S. and increasing demand for convenient and cost-effective care worldwide will be key in the continued growth of the global urgent care market—pushing its overall value to $30.5 billion by 2020, according to a new report from Market Research Reports Search Engine (MRRSE). Urgent Care Centers Market – Global Industry Analysis, Size, Share, Growth, Trends and Forecast, 2017–2020 cautions that the physician shortage being experienced in multiple practice settings, …

Flu Rates Have Hospital Systems Pushing Patients to Urgent Care

Pardee UNC Health Care in North Carolina and WVU Medicine in West Virginia are among the hospitals and systems advising area residents to make full use of local urgent care centers as flu cases mount, slamming emergency rooms with more visitors than they can handle efficiently. Pardee is pleading with area residents who have flu-like symptoms—or any non–life-threatening complaint—to stay away from the ED and instead visit one of its urgent care facilities. In getting …

A Young Man with Acute Ankle Injury

The patient is a 25-year-old man who complains of severe ankle pain and immobility after stumbling at work. He was carrying boxes through the warehouse when he stumbled and fell off a platform, landing with his foot in a forced flexion position. View the image taken and consider your next steps, along with possible diagnoses.

FDA Orders Label Changes for Opioid Cough and Cold Medications

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration will order changes to labeling information for opioid cough and cold medications to limit their use to adults aged 18 years and older. It will also require that new safety information be added to highlight the risk for addiction, abuse, overdose, and other dangerous potential side effects for all patients. Codeine-containing products like Tuxarin ER and Tuzistra ER, as well as products that contain hydrocodone (eg, Flowtuss, Rezira) will …

Banner Health, Select Medical Enter New Partnership

Banner Health is joining Select Medical on an initiative to combine operations of more than 38 physical therapy centers in Arizona and four acute inpatient rehabilitation hospitals located in Phoenix. Banner, which operates 33 urgent care centers in Arizona, Colorado, and Wyoming, will be the majority owner and Select Medical the managing partner. Construction on three new acute inpatient rehabilitation hospitals will start later this year. Down the road, some existing hospitals will be consolidated …

‘Raw’ is Healthy—Except When It’s Potentially Deadly

Celebrities and some nutrition gurus have touted the benefits of a raw diet for years. The latest ‘raw’ trend goes way beyond fruits and vegetables, though, and has the potential to drive consumers to your urgent care center. It’s water. Raw water is untreated and unfiltered; it’s literally drawn from the earth, bottled, and sold for upwards of $15 a gallon. The problem, health-wise, is that it could be tainted with pesticides, animal waste, and …