StuWilli, Author at Journal of Urgent Care Medicine

2017 Current Procedural Terminology (CPT) Code Changes

A new year always brings changes, and CPT is not excluded. On January 1, 2017 you will want to take note of CPT code changes that will affect your billing. Imaging Guidance Codes with Puncture Aspiration If guidance is used for needle placement when performing puncture aspiration CPT code 10160, “Puncture aspiration of abscess, hematoma, bulla, or cyst,” coders are directed to the imaging guidance codes: 76492, “Ultrasonic guidance for needle placement (eg, biopsy, aspiration, …

Dry Cough in a 19-Year-Old Male

Case A 19-year-old man presents to urgent care with a 5-day history of a dry cough. He says he has “felt warm” but didn’t think to check his temperature. He also complains that he has been weak, with a decreased appetite. He notes that his girlfriend had an upper respiratory infection a couple of weeks ago, but other than that he’s had no exposure to anyone who’s been sick. He has not traveled anywhere recently, …

Initially Missed Diagnosis of Quadriceps Partial Tendon Tear

Urgent message: Quadriceps tendon tears are misdiagnosed frequently, leaving patients at excessive risk for long-term disability. Early identification and immediate referral for further care—often, surgery—is necessary for optimal outcomes. Low-riding patella (patella baja) commonly seen in complete tendon tears. (Photo courtesy of Wikimedia Commons.) Introduction Musculoskeletal injuries are among of the most common problems seen in the urgent care setting. Quadriceps tendon tears are uncommon injuries, with an incidence of approximately 1.4/100,000 per year. Consequently, …

Abstracts in Urgent Care – January 2017

How Much Time with the Physician is “Enough” Time? Key point: Length of time with a provider may not be related to patient experience. Citation: Elmore N, Burt J, Abel G, et al. Investigating the relationship between consultation length and patient experience: a cross-sectional study in primary care. Br J Gen Pract. 2016;66(653):e896-e903. This study documented the length of stay for 529 patients who were seen by a primary care physician. Patients were then asked to fill out a survey about …

Ensign Group Cedes Urgent Care Operations to MultiCare

MultiCare has formally taken over 16 urgent care locations previously owned and operated the The Ensign Group. The deal includes 14 existing Immediate Clinic Seattle centers, all located in the in the Seattle area, plus two more that are under development. Coming on the heels of its sale of Integrity Urgent Care locations in Colorado earlier this year, the MultiCare transaction effectively has Ensign exiting the urgent care arena altogether. MultiCare, on the other hand, …

Federal Judge Says Transgender Health Rule May Violate Physicians’ Rights

A federal judge in Texas granted a temporary restraining order against federal health officials who may seek to enforce rules that ban discrimination by physicians and hospitals against transgender patients. The judge says he based his decisions on the grounds that compelling doctors to support patients who have either completed or are currently transitioning could equate to forcing doctors to violate their own religious beliefs. Kansas, Kentucky, Nebraska, and Wisconsin joined Texas in the suit, …

UCA Webinars: Preparing for the New Medicare Quality Payment Program

Ensuring payers send you every penny you earned can seem like a daunting challenge, especially with new rules—or entire systems—coming out every year. To help you start the new year on the right track, the Urgent Care Association is hosting two webinars on January 11 and 18 to discuss the new Medicare Quality Payment Program. Each one-hour webinar is designed for physicians, physician assistants, nurses/nurse practitioners, coders/billers, and IT staff. The presenter will be Camille …

Would Making House Calls Drive You to the Poor House?

An urgent care company in Texas is betting that taking urgent care directly to patients who can’t (or simply don’t want to) come to a center will ultimately help its business. Taking a page from the Marcus Welby, MD playbook, it’s sending doctors out to make house calls in vehicles boldly adorned with its logo, website, and phone number. While there may be some promotional value in having that car on the street, and the …

What You Can—and Can’t—Convey in a Text Message to Other Providers

New guidelines from The Joint Commission clarify what clinicians are allowed to convey via text messages. Urgent care providers should especially be aware that clinicians are allowed to text each other using a HIPAA-compliant platform as long as they don’t do so to send patient care orders. The new guidance, drawn up in consultation with the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, also stipulates that all healthcare organizations should have policies prohibiting the use of …

Duane Reade Shutters New York City Drugstore Clinics

Duane Reade may still seem like it really does have a pharmacy on every corner of New York City, but none of those drugstores is going to house a clinic anymore. The company says it will close all its retail pharmacy clinics before New Year’s Day. The New York City Department of Health says the move is not likely to have dramatic impact because “the vast majority of primary care visits occur in non-retail clinic …