Events

There’s a constant push-and-pull in every urgent care center in the country: prescribe antibiotics only for the indications for which they’re approved, or give in to patient demands that they “need” an antibiotic even if your years of medical training and experience tell you otherwise. Refuse the patient and they just might stalk out of your office and write a damning review on social media. Give them exactly what they ask for (ie, prioritize making …

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, antibiotic-resistant infections kill 35,000 people in the United States every year. And yet, patients continue to demand a prescription even when it’s explained to them that one isn’t warranted. At the same time, patient satisfaction has never been more essential to the patient–provider relationship (and the provider’s livelihood, in some cases). What’s a doctor to do when “defensive medicine” clashes with patient safety? This critical challenge …

Opinions on exactly when it will happen vary considerably, but all informed parties agree that at least one safe, effective vaccine against COVID-19 will be available in the coming months. The question is…what then? The College of Urgent Care Medicine is working with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to make sure urgent care operators have a chance to be up to date on plans to facilitate widespread vaccination, as will be detailed in …

An urgent care provider’s professional, ethical, and legal obligation to the patient doesn’t stop at providing competent care. There are some circumstances in which you have a duty to report suspicious circumstances that have little, if anything, to do with the patient’s presenting complaint. If you’re a bit hazy about where that responsibility begins and ends, you could be on shaky ground if you miss the opportunity to step in. The Urgent Care Association will …

Friction is something to be avoided, typically, whether it’s in coworker relationships, marriage, or even your car’s engine. The same holds true when trying to engage prospective patients in an urgent care center. Anything that adds a burden to the patient’s attempt to get care—unnecessary steps, unexpected waits, billing headaches—will make them think twice about where they choose to get that care. Reducing friction, conversely, gives them a pleasant experience they’re more likely to want …

The process of recruiting, interviewing, and hiring the best talent for your urgent care center can be so overwhelming that by the time your new hire’s first day comes, it’s easy to think the rest will take care of itself. It won’t. The steps you take to “onboard” new team members can make all the difference in the world when it comes to how they’ll perform, and even how long they’ll stay in your employ. …

While the world’s attention has been focused on COVID-19, another mysterious virus has continued to wreak havoc on the families it affects. Acute flaccid myelitis, which has been afflicting a growing number of children for several years, has continued to strike seemingly out of the blue. While care for children diagnosed with AFM is clearly beyond the resources of an urgent care center, parents could easily present to urgent care when symptoms first start to …

The COVID-19 pandemic is pushing public health officials, hospital administrators, the general public, and certainly healthcare providers to limits unseen in this lifetime. As always, though, it’s essential to correctly code for services provided in order to ensure urgent care centers are paid for the care they provide. Fail to do that, especially in the midst of economic chaos, and your business will suffer. Experity will host a webinar designed to help you on Thursday, …

Urgent care operators probably hear the word contracting and think immediately of their dealings with payers. As such, they’re probably most familiar and comfortable with the dynamics of such agreements. What about the host of other legally binding agreements that are part and parcel of any business, though? The Urgent Care Association has engaged Kayla McCann Marty and Justin Knapp of McGuire Woods LLP to lead a webinar on this very topic.  Non-Payer Business Contracting: …

Hiring the best providers is only half the battle when it comes to putting together a clinically excellent team that will appeal to prospective patients in your area. This is especially true if you’re the new kid on the block and don’t have years of experience to tell you what those people need. The type of area you occupy—rural vs urban, seasonal ebbs and flows, a high concentration of elderly residents—determines a lot, as well. …