StuWilli, Author at Journal of Urgent Care Medicine

Repair of Lacerations of the Face and Scalp: Part 1

Urgent message: Management of face and scalp lacerations requires an appreciation of the unique anatomy, sound repair technique, and consideration of patient expectations for cosmesis. TOYIN FAPOHUNDA-ADEKOLA MD, MBA Lacerations of the scalp and face are commonly seen in the urgent care setting. While these injuries can cause anxiety for both patient and practitioner, the basic tenets and techniques for repair are already well known. Following a systematic approach and appreciating the unique anatomic considerations …

The Role of Urgent Care in Reducing Hospital Readmissions

Lee A. Resnick, MD, FAAFP Early outpatient follow-up after hospital admission has been documented to be an important factor in reducing hospital readmission rates. Readmissions are also well known to cost billions of dollars annually. The problem with readmissions spans all socioeconomic classes and impacts all payors, public and private. As of 2013, the CMS began penalizing hospitals for readmissions, thus efforts are being made to limit these rates as much as possible. Numerous studies …

Woman with rash

This image was taken of a 44-year-old female who presented to the urgent care center with an itchy rash on her arms and legs that she has never had before. Four 4 days ago, she returned from a church retreat at a camp where she slept in a cabin in the woods. Most of the retreat was indoors. She is the only one with a rash and her husband, who slept in a different bed, …

UPDATED (11/3): A Rational Approach to ‘Suspected’ Ebola Virus Disease in Urgent Care

Lee A. Resnick, MD Editor-in-Chief, JUCM. Fear and anxiety are high with the first cases of Ebola Virus Disease on American soil. While the CDC advice is useful, urgent cares need guidance that is relevant to our setting and reflects urgent care realities. Dr. Resnick, in collaboration with experts, has created sample policy and procedure that can be adopted at the clinic level to ensure safe and effective screening without unnecessary risk of exposure. Please …

Treating Autistic Patients in the Urgent Care Setting

Urgent message: As the number of patients with autism spectrum disorders continues to increase, it is important that urgent care providers proactively educate themselves about how best to provide acute care for these individuals. ELIZABETH MANGONE and JOHN SHUFELDT, MD, JD, MBA, FACEP A 14-year-old autistic male presents with both parents. The patient is non-verbal and hypersensitive to touch. The parents state that he was stung by a bee and seems to be having respiratory …

A Rational Approach to ‘Suspected’ Ebola Virus Disease in Urgent Care

Lee A. Resnick, MD, FAAFP Fear and anxiety are high in the wake of the first Ebola Virus Disease (EVD) cases on American soil. As with any new, deadly, and transmissible infectious disease, confusion and missteps rule the day. The U.S. public health and disease control entities are certainly not perfect, but the reasonable clinician will see that the ability of these entities to prevent an outbreak is actually quite high. The Disease EVD causes …

November 2014

HIPAA for Health Care Heroes

John Shufeldt, MD, JD, MBA, FACEP You are working in an urgent care center when a mother shows up with her 18-year-old daughter, who is “mildly developmentally delayed,” per her mom. The daughter turned 18 yesterday and the mother is concerned that she may have gotten a little “too wild” while celebrating her birthday at a friend’s house and she would like her tested for drugs and STDs. The daughter appears to understand what is …

Clinical Challenge: November, 2014

The Case This x-ray was taken on a 72-year-old man who presented to urgent care after falling off a step stool while trimming branches. He landed directly on his left shoulder and was unable to lift his arm over his head due to severe pain. He thought his shoulder was dislocated. View the image taken (Figure 1) and consider what your diagnosis would be.

The Role of Urgent Care in an Integrated Care Delivery System: Insights from Kaiser Permanente

Urgent message: As the Affordable Care Act encourages greater integration of health insurers, hospitals, and physicians, urgent care will play an important role in increasing patient access, improving clinical outcomes and reducing health care costs. ALAN A. AYERS, MBA, MAcc, Experity Hospitals across the country are partnering with doctors and health insurers—linked by an electronic health record (EHR)—to form accountable care organizations (ACOs) as a way to control health care expenditures by coordinating patient care. …