Practice Management
Membership-based payment models might offer the best of both worlds for urgent care operators and patients. The way Valley Immediate Care in southern Oregon structured its version, patients paying a small monthly fee get discounts—50%—on most services needed at the time of a visit. My Urgent Care 365 has enticed new patients to visit the clinic, helping to increase revenue in the process. Valley Immediate Care CEO Brent Kell will share some insights into how …
Read MoreEnsuring 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 …
Read MoreConversations involving discipline—or, especially, termination—are uncomfortable for all parties involved. If you’re a manager or supervisor, though, rest assured they’re in your future (if they’re not already in your past). However, responding to poor performance or misconduct the right way can leave you feeling empowered and confident that you’re doing what you can to protect your workplace as well as other employees. Vance Daniels, senior human resources advisor for G&A Partners, will offer advice on …
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Over half of workers in the United States are “not engaged” in their jobs, and another 17% are “actively disengaged,” according to a Gallup poll. In other words, only about three in every 10 employees are really on point at any given time in a workplace—including, possibly, your urgent care center. The data also show, however, that organizations that make an effort to foster employee engagement have happier, more satisfied employees. And it’s not because …
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Patients may have contracted pneumonia in another healthcare setting, but that doesn’t mean they won’t be walking through your door when symptoms hit them hard and fast. Worse, antibiotic resistance is a real threat in community-acquired pneumonia (CAP); in fact, recent studies have shown that resistance has more than doubled admissions to the ICU and increased complications by 51%. Are you prepared to identify CAP in your urgent care center—and to treat patients early so …
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With preparations already underway for the 2016–2017 flu season, this is an ideal time to look further into the correlation between pneumonia and influenza—especially in urgent care, where respiratory illness is the number-one diagnosis code recorded. Pneumonia is the most common complication of influenza, and leads to significant morbidity and mortality, with the elderly and patients with comorbid conditions being most at risk. Glenn Harnett, MD will lead a discussion of this deadly combination in …
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The North East Regional Urgent Care Association launched its annual conference last fall, with the goal of creating an exceptional urgent care learning and network opportunity. This year the two-day meeting will be held October 24-25 at the Crystal Springs Resort, a four-season mountain destination located in Sussex County, NJ, an hour from New York City. The conference will feature three valuable education tracks for leadership, nurses and MAs, and providers. (This activity has been …
Read MoreProviders are the key personnel in any medical facility, and urgent care centers are no exception. To use a sports analogy, they’re the “superstars” of the team—which means they have to deliver if you’re going to have a winning record. However, as independent contractors, they can also put you on the losing side of Department of Labor and Internal Revenue Service violations. Attorney and experienced compliance officer Kurt Tullar will explain how to stay in …
Read MoreIn urgent care, you get one shot to make the right diagnosis for patients you may have never seen before. If you want to make sure you see them again (ie, they become loyal customers), you have to get it right the first time. Michael Loeb, MD, will cover differentiating factors for making the right diagnosis when presented with common complaints, as well as appropriate management for sinusitis, bronchitis, dysuria, urethritis, and more in 5 …
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Recent data reported here illustrate the challenges—and advantages, given their evolving perception of the healthcare marketplace—of reaching patients in the “millennial” demographic (defined by Pew Research as those who turned ages 15–34 in 2015). Chris Behan will draw on 20 years of experience in internet healthcare marketing to offer 5 Tips for Engaging the Millennial Patient Online, a free webinar to be hosted by the Urgent Care Association (UCA) on Thursday, June 23, 1–2 p.m. …
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