JOHN SHUFELDT, MD, JD, MBA, FACEP I am tangentially involved in a medical malpractice suit in which the physician in question complied completely with the standard of care. Her documentation was great, her care exceptional, there was no discrepancy between her charting and the nurses’ charting, the doctor-to-doctor hand-off went well, and she communicated with the patient and family. Unfortunately, the ultimate patient outcome was horrible. In the aftermath, the physician was named in a …
Read MoreAbstracts in Urgent Care: October, 2013
Clinical Decision Tool Identifies Boys at Low Risk of Testicular Torsion Key point: No child with a normal testicular lie, age <11 years, and absence of nausea or vomiting had torsion. Citation: Shah MI, Chantal CA, Mendez DR. Prospective pi- lot derivation of a decision tool for children at low risk for testicular torsion. Acad Emerg Med. 2013;20(3): 271-278. To develop a clinical decision tool for identifying children at low risk for testicular torsion, investigators …
Read MoreSupervising Physician, Physician Rotation, Critical Care
DAVID STERN, MD (Practice Velocity) Q. Can a Physician Assistant (PA) bill a claim under a supervising physician even when the supervising physician is not physically present during the patient visit? A.A PA can render services when the physician is not on site. Incident-to billing (a specific CMS method for billing midlevel services with the physician as rendering provider) would never apply in this case. Services rendered in this situation should be billed with the …
Read MoreDeveloping Data: October, 2013
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). In …
Read MoreRegional Health System Integration: Charting Your Course
Lee A. Resnick, MD, FAAFP These are indeed stormy and transformational times. While no one can seem to agree on the political path to reform, change is nonetheless happening at a rapid pace in health care. Previous efforts to manage health care costs and quality on a national scale sunk at sea (the HMOs and Managed Care Organizations of the 80s and 90s). But the current path to reform appears unstoppable to me, regardless of …
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18-year-old man with a mild blow to his chest
This x-ray was taken on an 18-year-old man with a mild blow to his chest. View the image taken (Figure 1) and consider what your diagnosis would be.
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13-year-old boy who twisted his ankle
This x-ray was taken on a 13-year-old boy who twisted his ankle. View the image taken (Figure 1) and consider what your diagnosis would be.
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Market-Driven, Performance- Based Physician Compensation in Urgent Care
Urgent message: Determining compensation for urgent care physicians is a challenge, particularly given the current health care environment. This article provides guidelines for achieving fair compensation based on reliable metrics and objectivity. RICHARD M. CAMERON, MHSA, CMPE and RICK E. WEYMIER, MBA, FACMPE Introduction Physician compensation presents one of the greatest challenges to the success of an urgent care practice because it has an impact on practice culture, physician interelationships, and the ability to attract …
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An Urgent Care Approach to Complications and Conditions of Pregnancy Part 2
Urgent message: From pregnancy confirmation to the evaluation of bleeding, urgent care centers are often the initial location for management of obstetric-related issues. Careful use of evidence-based guidelines is the key to successful outcomes. DAVID N. JACKSON, MD, FACOG and PETAR PLANINIC, MD, FACOG Case Presentation Urgent care providers are called upon to manage a variety of complaints in pregnancy. Some conditions can be managed at the urgent care center whereas others require stabilization and …
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