DAVID WEIN, MD, MBA, FACEP, and DENNIS DIXON, MD I knew that would get your attention! Actually who Shakespeare was referring to in Henry VI was only the rare corrupt lawyer. Corrupt or not, the one thing lawyers have correct is that because their entire practice is “giving advice,” they rarely do it for free. Bad advice has consequences. I’m not trying to be Doctor Downer but in medicine and law, it’s called negligence. As …
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Nasal Polyps
Urgent message: Differential diagnosis and careful attention to signs, symptoms and history are particularly important in management of patients with nasal inflammation. MOHAMMED NOMAN MOHIUDDIN, MD Overview Nasal congestion and sinus symptoms are common urgent care complaints. Recurrent sinusitis, either from allergies or upper respiratory infections is frustrating to patients. Proper evaluation and treatment of underlying predisposing factors will help alleviate symptoms and address the disease process associated with polyps such as those seen in …
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An Urgent Care Operator’s Guide to Hiring and Managing a Lawyer
Urgent message: This article is a broad overview of how lawyers work and charge and what to do to avoid some of the most common pitfalls inherent in the attorney-client relationship. ALAN A. AYERS, MBA, MAcc Practice Velocity Success in business entails being prepared and there will be times when it’s unavoidably necessary for you, the urgent care operator, to engage the services of an attorney. From structuring and starting up the business, to reviewing …
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Outpatient Management of Deep Venous Thrombosis
Urgent message: Urgent care providers are on the frontline in diagnosis of DVT. Outpatient management is a consideration for carefully selected patients. SABRINA SOOD, MD Deep venous thrombosis (DVT) is formation of a clot in the deep venous system, usually in a lower extremity. Half of untreated patients with DVT will go on to develop the fatal complication pulmonary embolism (PE). Approximately 300,000 to 600,000 Americans die each year due to venous thromboembolism (VTE).1 Urgent …
Read MoreRisk Mitigation in Urgent Care: Part 3
Lee A. Resnick, MD, FAAFP In my previous column, I discussed three core areas where risk and potential liability exposure lurk and ways to mitigate that risk. This month, the last in the three-part series, I will focus on specific clinical policies and procedures that can effectively reduce liability risk and enhance patient safety, quality and patient satisfaction…the holy grail of high-performing practices. Eliminating ‘Pre-triage’ The term “pre-triage” is used to describe the all-too-common practice …
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June 2014
The Role of Ultrasound for Soft Tissue Infections in the Urgent Care Setting
The Role of Ultrasound for Soft Tissue Infections in the Urgent Care Setting Urgent Message: Abscess evaluation is one of many diagnostic applications of ultrasound that could improve patient care in the urgent care setting. Authors: Staci Shepard, MS-4, and John Shufeldt, MD, JD, MBA, FACEP Staci Shephard is a fourth-year medical student at Creighton University School of Medicine. John Shufeldt, MD, JD, MBA, FACEP, is CEO of Urgent Care Integrated Network and sits on …
Read MoreWhat Percentage of Patients Do Urgent Care Centers Transfer or Direct to an Emergency Room?
These data from the 2012 Urgent Care Industry Benchmarking Study are based on a sample of 1,732 urgent care centers; 95.2% of the respondents were UCA members. Among other criteria, the study was limited to centers that have a licensed provider onsite at all times; have two or more exam rooms; typically are open 7 days/week, 4 hours/day, at least 3,000 hours/year; and treat patients of all ages (unless specifically a pediatric urgent care).
Read MoreDME, Benign Lesion Excision, Urgent Care Codes
Q. We currently provide DME to our patients as a courtesy to them and then bill their insurance. We generally get paid by most private insurances, but not by Medicare. Our billing department claims Medicare will never pay for any DME we provide because we are not a DME provider licensed with Medicare. If our billing department is correct, would it be compliant to give DME prescriptions to all patients 65 and over? A. I …
Read MoreAbstracts in Urgent Care: May, 2014
Signs of aging and risk of heart disease Key point: Some outward signs of aging may correlate with increased risk of heart disease including MI. Citation: Christoffersen M, Frikke-Schmidt R, Schnohr P, et al. Visible age-related signs and risk of ischemic heart disease in the general population: A prospective cohort study. Circulation. 2014;4l128(9):990-998. Investigators in Denmark in this 35-year prospective trial attempted to see if outward signs of aging (frontoparietal baldness, crown top baldness, earlobe crease, …
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