Practice Management
Urgent message: Cultivating trust requires good communication and if a language barrier stands between patient and provider, not only are clinical outcomes jeopardized, but the urgent care operation can be subject to legal liability. ALAN A. AYERS, MBA, MAcc Practice Velocity The demographics of the United States are rapidly changing. Today a language other than English is spoken in 55 million households, 67% of which speak Spanish, and an estimated 19% of Americans have Limited …
Read MoreJOHN SHUFELDT, MD, JD, MBA, FACEP In the past, when I have broached the topic of employee theft with urgent care owners, their typical, somewhat indignant, response is, “My employees would never do that!” I really like this answer because I really value loyalty – more than anything. In the film Ides of March, campaign manager Paul Zara (Philip Seymour Hoffman) proclaims: “I value loyalty over everything.” Of course, he completely gets screwed (by his …
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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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The patient, a 6-year-old male, presented after a blow to his left knee. View the image taken (Figure 1) and consider what your diagnosis would be.
Read MoreThese 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 …
Read MoreDAVID 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 …
Read MoreFlu 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 …
Read MoreJOHN 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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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 …
Read MoreLee 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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