25-year-old female with autism and a 1-week history of fever

25-year-old female with autism and a 1-week history of fever

The patient, a 25-year-old female with autism, presented with a 1-week history of fever. View the image taken (Figure 1) and consider what your diagnosis would be. Diagnosis: The x-ray reveals a foreign body in the right airway (arrow) and an infiltrate in the right lower lobe (circle). Referral to a hospital for extraction of the foreign body and treatment is necessary for this patient. Case presented by Nahum Kovalski, BSc, MDCM, Terem Emergency Medical …

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Developing Data: February, 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 UCAOA 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 …

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S9083, Radiology, and E/M Codes

DAVID STERN, MD (Practice Velocity) Q.Can CPT code S9083 be billed with an E/M service code or would this be considered double dipping? You would not typically add CPT code S9083 to an E/M service unless instructed to do so specifically by an insurance company. CPT code S9083, “Global fee urgent care centers,” would be used in instances where the insurance company has stated that the reimbursement is based on a flat rate (global fee …

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Abstracts in Urgent Care: February, 2013

Flu Activity Picks Up Nationwide Key point: CDC recommends vaccination and antiviral treat- ment against influenza Citation: http://www.cdc.gov/flu/spotlights/flu-activity-picks- up.htm. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, National Center for Immunization and Respiratory Diseases (NCIRD). Influenza activity was continuing to increase in the United States and most of the country was experiencing high levels of in- fluenza-like-illness (ILI), according to CDC’s January 4 FluView report. “Reports of influenza-like-illness (ILI) are nearing what have been peak levels during …

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Continue CPR! or How to Save the Patient and Screw the Pooch1

JOHN SHUFELDT, MD, JD, MBA, FACEP So there I was (all good stories start this way), having just participated in saving a 58-year-old guy who collapsed while playing golf with his buddies. It was a classic v-fib arrest—dropped after hitting a great drive right down the middle of the fairway. The man’s friends started CPR, paramedics arrived and shocked him out of VF into a sinus rhythm and intubated him. While in the emergency department …

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Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus aureus

Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus aureus

Urgent message: Accurate, early diagnosis and appropriate antibiotic treatment of MRSA is essential to prevent subsequent morbidity and mortality. SAMINA YUNUS MD, MPH, and DONNA GOETSCH, MSN, CNP Case Presentation A 22-year-old white female presents to the urgent care clinic with a complaint of an infected spider bite on her left upper thigh. She first noted a pimple-like lesion approximately a week before presentation. The lesion has subsequently grown and developed a central, black area …

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Patient Portals Part II: ‘Who’s That Practice Behind the Curtain?’

Lee A. Resnick, MD, FAAFP I proposed a systematic approach intended to in my last column, I discussed the decision- making process around patient portals and mitigate risk, ensure security, and manage access. A portal, by definition, is an‘entrance‘— a virtual access point to a practice, its staff and patient medical records. The most common access point is a practice’s website and well-designed one can enhance access, improve efficiency, and help sell your practice to …

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Offering Patient WiFi in the Urgent Care Center

Offering Patient WiFi in the Urgent Care Center

Urgent message: The costs of and barriers to adding WiFi to an urgent care center are low and the benefits include a better patient experience and improved perception of wait times. ALAN A. AYERS, MBA, MAcc, Experity WiFi is now ubiquitous. Step into most any coffee house, theme restaurant, library, shopping mall or other service establishment and you’ll find that Internet access is readily available and usually free of charge. Many hospitals have also introduced …

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