Journal of Urgent Care Medicine

A Candid Look at Physician Misconduct

Urgent message: Physicians are expected to be leaders in the urgent care practice, but they are also human and prone to inappropriate behavior. It’s thus critical for urgent care operators to establish processes for investigating, documenting, and responding to allegations of physician misconduct. Alan A. Ayers, MBA, MAcc is Chief Executive Officer of Velocity Urgent Care and is Practice Management Editor of The Journal of Urgent Care Medicine. On any given day, there is no …

Implications of HIPAA and Employee Confidentiality Rules on Positive Drug Test Results

Urgent message: In addition to drug testing their own employees, many urgent care centers offer drug testing as a service to other employers. Therefore, it’s important to understand the laws affecting the privacy of drug screen results. Alan A. Ayers, MBA, MAcc is Vice President of Strategic Initiatives for Practice Velocity, LLC and is Practice Management Editor of The Journal of Urgent Care Medicine Introduction It’s standard procedure throughout the country for employers to require …

Urgent Care 2.0: Health Systems Taking the Retail Approach to the Next Level

Urgent message: Spurred by disruptive market entrants and burgeoning consumerism, health systems are increasingly adopting retail principles to better meet consumers’ shifting expectations. Thus, urgent care stakeholders, either as standalone operators or partners with a hospital/health system, must further expand upon their retail offerings in order to fend off increased competition. Alan A. Ayers, MBA, MAcc is Vice President of Strategic Initiatives for Practice Velocity, LLC and is Practice Management Editor of The Journal of …

Invest Personally and Professionally in Your Organization

Urgent message: The difference between being a “business owner” and “just an employee” is the personal degree of investment one has in his or her organization. Alan A. Ayers, MBA, MAcc is Chief Executive Officer of Velocity Urgent Care and is Practice Management Editor of The Journal of Urgent Care Medicine. What differentiates an “outstanding” from a “mediocre” employee? While factors like dependability, attention to detail, and pleasant demeanor might be the first come to …

Implement Scalable, Repeatable Processes to Grow Your Practice

Urgent message: Patients may find it difficult to understand when it makes the most sense to visit your urgent care locations if the level of acuity varies from one location to the next. Instituting repeatable processes and creating a consistent “brand promise” are essential to building a stable identity and making it easy for patients to trust your operation. Alan A. Ayers, MBA, MAcc is Vice President of Strategic Initiatives for Practice Velocity, LLC and …

What HIPAA Is and What It’s Not

Urgent message: While many people perceive HIPAA as a law governing patient privacy, protection and standards for personal health information is only one aspect of this law, which was originally intended to regulate health insurance. Alan A. Ayers, MBA, MAcc is Vice President of Strategic Initiatives for Practice Velocity, LLC and is Practice Management Editor of The Journal of Urgent Care Medicine. Introduction Ask anyone—even the owner of an urgent care center—what HIPAA is, …

How Urgent Care Cultivates Competition in Healthcare

Urgent message: U.S. healthcare has been a monolith of inefficiency, limited access, and untenable costs for decades, due mainly to a lack of healthy competition. Today’s healthcare landscape, however, spurred by converging market forces, is rapidly evolving into a competitive marketplace, with urgent care being one of the key catalysts for this welcomed and long overdue change. Alan A. Ayers, MBA, MAcc is Vice President of Strategic Initiatives for Practice Velocity, LLC and is Practice …

To Lease or Buy Medical Equipment: What’s Best for Your Practice?

Urgent message: Give ample consideration to the key factors—your credit history, taxes, technology, the cost of maintenance, and what your business truly needs—before deciding whether buying or leasing equipment is best for your urgent care operation. Alan A. Ayers, MBA, MAcc is Vice President of Strategic Initiatives for Practice Velocity, LLC and is Practice Management Editor of The Journal of Urgent Care Medicine. Whether to lease or buy equipment for your urgent care center is …

Respirator Fit Exams Breathe New Life into Occ Med Urgent Care Offerings

Urgent Message: Urgent care centers that offer occupational medicine services play an important role in protecting the safety of the nation’s workforce. One such service—offering respiratory fit testing—constitutes an important element of that mission while also creating a distinct revenue stream. To truly maximize the potential of offering this valuable eservice, however, it is important to understand the OSHA regulations, secure proper equipment, and assure staff is properly trained to conduct respirator fit tests. Alan …

What Constitutes Consent for Treatment of a Minor in Urgent Care?

Urgent message: Urgent care centers must use all reasonable efforts to comply with informed-consent and consent-to-minors laws. This should include consulting with legal counsel on the specific laws of the state and developing protocols to shield the center from possible litigation. Alan A. Ayers, MBA, MAcc is Vice President of Strategic Initiatives for Practice Velocity, LLC and is Practice Management Editor of The Journal of Urgent Care Medicine. Introduction Medical practices like urgent care centers …