Practice Management
If CVS’s $69 billion deal to buy Aetna goes through, one of the first things the company is expected to do is broadly expand its retail health clinic business—ultimately saving the company more than $1 billion annually, according to a report from Reuters. The presumed savings would flow out of efforts to improve access to preventative care through the CVS clinics. CVS has roughly 9,700 drugstores (though only a thousand or so have clinics), while …
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Many urgent care operators promote their clinics on the basis that they’re entrenched in the heart of the community. This is the season to prove it. Lansing (MI) Urgent Care is already doing that by supporting the Greater Lansing Food Bank’s efforts to raise money and collect food and in-kind contributions for area residents in need as winter takes hold. In New Jersey, IMA Urgent Care Centers is collecting new, unused toys for the Toys …
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It’s relatively early in the season, but the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reports that influenza activity is already rising—and several markers are higher than normally seen this early. Four children have already died this season, and four of the CDC’s 10 regions are at or above their regional baselines. Another bad sign: Australia, whose data are often a predictor of flu severity in the U.S., just completed its worst flu season on record. …
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You promote your urgent care operation well, hire competent clinicians, and offer a robust array of services. So, why don’t more patients return? The problem might be that they don’t feel any sense of connection to your clinic; even worse, the same could be true of your staff. If that’s the case, you might find the solution in the Urgent Care Association’s next live webinar, during which James Jiloty, PHR, MSHR, MSLD will lead a …
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The parents of a Pittsburgh-area boy knew exactly what was wrong, but had no idea how serious the consequences could be. Somehow the 5-year-old dislodged a small, lithium disc battery from a fidget spinner and promptly swallowed it. The parents rushed him into the car with the intent of taking him to the emergency room, but as he became more agitated they opted for the closest urgent center. Ultimately, he needed immediate surgery to remove …
Read MoreEvery business—universally, in every field—survives on its ability to draw the right customers. For healthcare professionals, that means patients. In this age of on-demand service and walk-in appointments, more than at any other time, providers are also called upon to be astute marketers who know how to help patients find them when they need care. Making the effort doesn’t always assure success, however. So, it may be helpful to know that there are new, independent …
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Q: What is case-rate reimbursement, and how does it work in the urgent care sector? A: Case rate, sometimes called flat rate, describes a reimbursement structure in which providers receive a flat reimbursement rate for every patient visit, no matter what service they provide. Case-rate reimbursement means that the urgent care is contracted with the payor to receive the same reimbursement regardless of the acuity of care, whether it’s the treatment of a hangnail or …
Read MoreA 22-year-old man presents to urgent care with a round, hyperpigmented patch on his arm. He reports that it’s “itchy,” and that it appeared soon after taking a second dose of a sulfonamide he’s taking for a persistent sinus infection. View the photo and consider what your diagnosis and next steps would be. Resolution of the case is described on the next page.
Read MoreAn 82-year-old man presents with complaints of palpitations. He denies chest pain, shortness of breath, dizziness, fever, vomiting, or confusion. Upon exam, you find: General: Alert and oriented Lungs: CTAB Cardiovascular: Regular and tachycardic without murmur, rub, or gallop Abdomen: Soft and nontender without rigidity, rebound, or guarding View the ECG and consider what the diagnosis and next steps would be. Resolution of the case is described on the next page.
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