Urgent message: In the midst of the controversy in the United States surrounding the right to bear arms and concealed-carry laws, the medical field has also been wrestling with the issue. Some patients, facility personnel, and facility visitors will carry weapons. Thus, it is important that urgent care managers be prepared by identifying which issues regarding weapons they should focus on and what they and their personnel may be able to do when an encounter involves a weapon. Guns in …
Read More
Using Key Performance Indicators to Measure, Track, and Improve Performance in Urgent Care
Urgent message: Key performance indicators provide the yardstick by which urgent care strategy and execution are tracked over time, highlighting areas requiring management intervention, facilitating comparison with peers, and enabling a culture of continual improvement. Introduction Key performance indicators (KPIs) are quantifiable business metrics used by organizations to gauge various aspects of their performance over time. Regular monitoring and evaluation of KPIs help provide insight into an organization’s financial health and spotlight organizational strengths and weaknesses. KPIs are also used to set strategic and …
Read More
Nonhealing Wounds, Part 2: Treatment in the Urgent Care Center
Urgent message: The etiology of nonhealing wounds is often multifactorial, with the likelihood of healing enhanced if all considerations are addressed, including evaluation and management of the blood supply in patients with peripheral arterial disease or diabetes mellitus, as well as local wound care. The diagnosis of a nonhealing wound is largely clinical, with diagnostic studies tailored to the suspected cause as well as to the underlying process. Part 1 of this article [see “Nonhealing Wounds, Part 1: Diagnosis in the Urgent Care …
Read More
Encourage a Seasonal Surge by Courting Vacationers
Many urgent care centers are well prepared to administer travel-related vaccines for tourists bound for the Olympics or ready to set sail on a cruise. What about closer to home, though? With school out and vacationing in, would the first aid center at the water park and the manager of that motel off the interstate think of your urgent care center when they need to refer a guest who needs immediate care? You should 1) …
Read More
Healthcare is Outpacing Inflation—Make Your Case on Cost Savings
Healthcare costs are growing at a slower pace than in years past, but they’re still rising faster than the overall inflation rate, according to new data from the PwC Health Research Institute. That means the pressure is still on insurers and employers (not to mention everyday people who pay out of pocket) to make sure their own costs are kept in check. Urgent care has the chance to play the hero in this scenario by …
Read More
CDC: One Out of Five Visit a U.S. Emergency Room Every Year
New data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reveal that one out of every five Americans visits a hospital emergency room at least once a year, with California, Florida, Illinois, New York, and Texas accounting for more than a third of all ED visits nationally. The report also reconfirms that most of these patients are adults who are not admitted to the hospital. Of interest to urgent care operators, the national rate for …
Read More
Window Decals Can Help Tell Your Story and Sell Your Services
If permitted in your municipality, window decals can enhance the appearance of your center, make your brand visible at eye-level to pedestrians on a city street (important if your signage is near the top of your building), and educate the community as to your various services. For example, there’s an OPTUM Urgent Care location in Plano, TX in the out-lot of a high-traffic SuperTarget store that uses its window decals to market a wide array …
Read More
DOJ Sweep Underscores Need for Toeing the Line in Medicare Practices
Physicians and nurses were charged along with business owners after the Department of Justice moved in on scores of clinics that were allegedly involved in fraudulently collecting fees from Medicare and Medicaid. The DOJ says more than 300 people were charged in healthcare fraud schemes involving $900 million in false billings. Sixty suspects were allegedly linked to schemes involving Medicare Part D, which is the fastest-growing component of Medicare, overall. According to court documents, the …
Read More
Intermountain Healthcare Joins the Telehealth Revolution
Add Intermountain Healthcare to the growing list of large healthcare providers that offer patients the chance to connect with a physician from the comfort of their own phone. IHC’s Connect Care will be available 24 hours a day, seven days a week and charge a flat fee of $49. Patients who the provider thinks need to be seen right away will get a referral and not be charged for the virtual visit. IHC operates 31 …
Read More
More Data Implicate Retail Clinics in Rising Health Spending
A new study from PwC’s Health Research Institute is just the latest to show that the convenience offered by retail clinics comes at a steep price. As a result, large employers can expect to see health costs keep growing throughout this year and the next, according to Medical Cost Trend: Behind the Numbers 2017. The “big surprise,” according to the report, is that the biggest increases appear to be coming from basic healthcare that should …
Read More