Practice Management
A new report published in the Journal of Pediatrics reveals traits common to pediatric Medicaid patients who visit urgent care centers. Roughly 8% of the 2.7 million children under age 19 in the 2013 Marketscan Medicaid database had at least one urgent care visit. More common attributes among those included age 1-2 years and presence of a complex chronic condition. “High” urgent care utilization was associated with five or more primary care visits for acute …
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The retail frenzy may subside once Christmas Day is past, but spikes in holiday traffic continue for immediate care providers. Emergency rooms and urgent care centers see their busiest days of the year during the end-of-year holidays, traditionally. Whether it’s food poisoning or carving injuries that present the day after Thanksgiving, broken bones sustained while hanging Christmas lights, or various injuries associated with over-celebrating the New Year, EDs around the country report their visits increase …
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More than 5,000 people die in workplaces every year in the United States, most often from violence, exposure to toxic chemicals, or traffic accidents. Drug overdose is catching up, though, as the fastest-growing cause of death on the job, according to a new report from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. The number of fatal overdoses from illicit drug or alcohol use in the workplace jumped 32% from 2015 to 2016. While the grand total of 217 …
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As Alabama, Arkansas, Delaware, and New York and other states report higher incidence of flu compared with previous years, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reveals that A(H3N2) viruses are predominating this season, and has issued a summary of antiviral drug treatment recommendations. According to the agency, previous seasons in which A(H3N2) viruses were predominant were associated with more hospitalizations and deaths among older adults and young children vs other age groups. Vaccine effectiveness …
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Putting out fires may be necessary from time to time, but it’s no way to build a lasting presence in the urgent care marketplace. Focus all your attention on the day-to-day problems and you’ll find that your business is blowing in the wind like so many autumn leaves. Learn how to start breaking the cycle of jumping from one problem to the next in the first live webinar the Urgent Care Association will offer in …
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Urgent message: The difference between being a “business owner” and “just an employee” is the personal degree of investment one has in his or her organization. Alan A. Ayers, MBA, MAcc is Chief Executive Officer of Velocity Urgent Care and is Practice Management Editor of The Journal of Urgent Care Medicine. What differentiates an “outstanding” from a “mediocre” employee? While factors like dependability, attention to detail, and pleasant demeanor might be the first come to …
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Davam Urgent Care in Montgomery County, TX and New England Urgent Care in the Hartford, CT area are among the operators extending themselves on behalf of those in need this holiday season. Davam is donating $500 it took in administering flu shots in the month of November to help Magnolia Independent School District continue recovery from Hurricane Harvey. New England Urgent Care is running its first-ever holiday toy and coat drive. All four locations are …
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Dissatisfied patients who have flocked to urgent care rather than more traditional care locations are forcing health systems and clinics to reevaluate how they offer care, according to a new report in Becker’s Hospital Review. “Regardless of the clinical enterprise’s desire to connect everyone with a long-term physician relationship, responsive health systems will recognize they cannot form relationships through experiences that leave individuals unsatisfied. These relationships are particularly important at the individual’s first point of …
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The Food and Drug Administration unveiled a new tool designed to give urgent care physicians and other providers more timely access to updates on antibiotics and antifungal drugs this week. The overarching aim is to help clinicians anticipate when bacterial or fungal infections are likely to respond to a specific drug. Under the new approach, FDA can simultaneously update the breakpoints for multiple drugs that have the same active ingredient and share that information transparently …
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Dental365, a chain of dental urgent care clinics affiliated with CityMD in and around New York City, has gone on a holiday shopping spree and plans to open five recently acquired locations early in 2018. Like traditional, physician-based urgent care, Dental365’s model is based on greater convenience on a walk-in basis, with many locations open 7 days a week, often with evening hours. The company says it sees an average of 1,400 new patients monthly …
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