Journal of Urgent Care Medicine

Addressing Fraternization in the Urgent Care Workplace

Urgent message: Whereas sexual harassment is defined as unwanted and one-sided, many times employees choose to become romantically involved, requiring that urgent care centers have a policy and a plan to address workplace fraternization. Alan A. Ayers, MBA, MAcc is President of Experity Networks and is Practice Management Editor of The Journal of Urgent Care Medicine. In 2019, McDonald’s fired its Chief Executive Steve Easterbrook for engaging in a relationship that violated company policy. The …

The Nuances of Age Discrimination

Urgent message: As the United States learns to support an aging workforce, understanding the nuances of age discrimination can help urgent care practices to be fair and diverse workplaces that avoid potential legal pitfalls. Alan A. Ayers, MBA, MAcc is Senior Editor, Practice Management of The Journal of Urgent Care Medicine and is President of Experity Networks “Lori’s been here since dinosaurs roamed the earth—she’ll know where it’s at.”1 That type of comment may land …

What Does a Hybrid Workforce Look Like for Urgent Care?

Alan A. Ayers, MBA, MAcc is Practice Management Editor of The Journal of Urgent Care Medicine and is President of Experity Networks. Urgent message: As COVID-19 has enabled many non-patient-facing employees to work from home, now urgent care operators must grapple with returning some of those employees to the office or otherwise managing a “hybrid” workforce. The COVID-19 pandemic has changed every facet of daily life. Although its impact on the world of medicine is …

Understanding the Benefits and Risks of Direct-to-Consumer Testing for Urgent Care

Urgent message: Urgent care centers equipped to draw blood and collect other specimens are well positioned to create new revenue streams related to the booming direct-to-consumer lab movement. Alan A. Ayers, MBA, MAcc is President of Strategic Initiatives at Experity. People are taking more responsibility for their health than ever before. Whether that means practicing wellness promotion activities or actively seeking care without referrals, today’s healthcare landscape looks much different than it did 20 years …

Seven Digital Marketing Tactics for Every Urgent Care Center

Urgent message: Urgent care operators are spending an increasing amount of their marketing budget on seven digital tactics. Fortunately for those working in healthcare, there will never be a shortage of patients. People will always come down with illnesses, and minor injuries won’t go away anytime soon. That being said, it can still be difficult to get people in the door of your specific urgent care center. Although it often gets neglected, proper marketing is …

Are There Any Restrictions on an Urgent Care Provider Charging a No-Show or Cancellation Fee?

Urgent message: When holding a time slot that could go to another paying customer, it’s common for service businesses to charge no-show or cancellation fees. With many urgent care centers moving to online registration and queuing systems, could this be a solution for maximizing throughput in urgent care as well? Alan A. Ayers, MBA, MAcc is President of Experity Networks and is Practice Management Editor of The Journal of Urgent Care Medicine. Please provide at …

Liability of an Urgent Care Center for Third-Party Labs

Urgent message: While an urgent care center is responsible for the collection and safeguarding of clinical specimens, it’s generally not liable for the activities of a third-party lab that it sends a specimen to. Alan A. Ayers, MBA, MAcc is Vice President of Strategic Initiatives, Experity Urgent care facilities regularly provide bloodwork and laboratory testing for their patients. These services may include allergy screening, diabetes testing, anemia screening, immunity testing, thyroid screening and monitoring, and …

Adapting Urgent Care Marketing Strategies to Include Mobile and Voice Technologies

Urgent message: As consumers become more dependent on their internet-connected smartphones for health information, urgent care centers must adapt their marketing content to mobile devices and include greater use of voice-enabled search and GPS-enabled marketing tactics. When personalized technology started to become widespread in the late 90s and early 2000s, it changed the way companies did business. They were forced to adapt to new marketing tactics and develop creative ways to fend off competitors. Customers …

New Lawsuits Re-examine Prescribing of PrEP in Urgent Care

Urgent message: Urgent care providers should take note of emerging class-action lawsuits when helping patients decide if PrEP (pre-exposure prophylaxis for HIV) is right for them. Alan A. Ayers, MBA, MAcc is Chief Executive Officer of Velocity Urgent Care Few diseases ravage the body like HIV. As such, the healthcare world has been working for decades to develop treatments and methods to protect patients against it. One of the most promising treatments is pre-exposure prophylaxis …