Urgent Message: Patients with tooth-related complaints increasingly are presenting to urgent care centers. Managing these cases can be a challenge because physicians often receive limited training in this area. KATHERINE HURST MSC, MD, and RICHARD E. WALTON DMD, MS Tooth or tooth-related complaints are common presenting issues in patients seen at urgent care centers because of the limited availability of dental services in the evenings and on weekends. More patients also are seeking emergency dental …
Read MoreNotes From the Convention
Lee A. Resnick, MD, FAAFP As I write this, the annual convention of the Urgent Care Association (UCA) is in full swing in Las Vegas. This year’s assembly is the largest gathering of urgent care professionals in the world … ever. With well over 700 attendees, the energy is palpable. The excitement surrounding the discipline and the industry has never been greater as more and more physicians, entrepreneurs, health systems and others clamor for a …
Read MoreMay 2012
32-year-old female presents with cough and fever
The patient, a 32-year-old female, presented with a cough and fever. View the image taken and consider what your diagnosis would be.
Read MoreClinical Challenge 2: April, 2012
The patient, a 14-year-old male, presented with a limp following trauma to his left leg. View the image taken (Figure 1) and consider what your diagnosis would be. Resolution of the case is described on the next page.
Read MoreAtypical Appendicitis in the Older Patient
Urgent message: Consider the possibility of appendicitis in the elderly even in the absence of typical/classic symptoms. Acute appendicitis in this population is associated with high morbidity and mortality rates. Author: Alona Dalusung-Angosta, PhD, APN, NP-C and Bryan Holmes, NREMTP Introduction Acute appendicitis is one of the most common causes of abdominal pain, affecting 7% of the general population. The majority of cases occur in patients ages 10 to 30, and the risk of mortality …
Read MoreUnderstanding Your Cost Per Patient
Urgent message: Assessing the true cost per patient is key to determining which pricing model will generate the most revenue for an urgent care center. JORDAN TODD RICE, MD A cost-per-patient analysis may not work for every urgent care center owner, but this article is intended to give JUCM readers the basic tools they need to understand the formulas. It can also serve as a baseline for discussions with urgent care center staff, executives, managers, …
Read MoreHigh-Risk Conditions Presenting as Back Pain (Part 2)
Urgent message: Significant cervical spine injuries are rare in urgent care but missing one can have serious implications for patient and provider. ERICA MARSHBURN, BS, BA, and JOHN SHUFELDT, MD, JD, MBA, FACEP In this continuing series on back pain diagnostics in urgent care medicine, we urge providers to carefully consider any high-risk spinal conditions that could be presenting as simple back pain. Although many cases of back pain can be attributed to musculoligamentous injury …
Read MoreEnhancing Profits with Travel Health Care
Urgent message: Adding travel health services to an urgent care center can increase a practice’s income and enhance its client base. LYNNE BUNNELL, RN Providing pre-travel health services in an urgent care clinic makes good business sense. The setting is natural to patients who want to be seen for care just days before leaving on a trip. It also works well for those who are more flexible in scheduling visits because their trips are planned …
Read MoreTelemedicine’s Impact on Urgent Care: What You Need to Know
Urgent message: Telemedicine represents a new growth opportunity for urgent care centers that want to attract consumers looking for on-demand medicine. IAN VASQUEZ, MBA Urgent care providers are well positioned to take advantage of new market opportunities being driven by consumers and employers who increasingly look to the Internet for on-demand medicine. Telemedicine represents one such opportunity. This article will help you understand applications of telemedicine to urgent care and assess key risks and benefits …
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