Practice Management
In a sobering cross-sectional study, researchers found that healthcare workers in emergency departments (EDs) experience workplace violence at a rate of once every 3.7 shifts. Even worse, in the large urban ED study site, 25% of the incidents involved physical violence, as published in JAMA Network Open. The odds of experiencing violence increased for those in a nursing role and workers of a younger age. Those who experienced violence reported they were moderately or severely …
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Novant Health has completed its acquisition of UCI Medical Affiliates, Inc. (UCI), previously owned by BlueCross BlueShield of South Carolina. The deal includes 52 Doctors Care urgent care clinics and 20 Progressive Physical Therapy clinics. UCI also provides nonmedical management and administrative services specifically for urgent care and physical therapy operators. Charlotte-based Novant has 3 hospitals in South Carolina, so the urgent care additions will no doubt offer some new referral source potential. Staying the …
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Urgent care site selection can be tricky business. Once operators have sized up their addressable market, considered the competition, and estimated the available workforce, opening their doors may seem like a cinch. However, local zoning approvals must figure into site selection strategy as well. Last week, city councilors in Celina, Ohio, voted down a rezoning measure, which ultimately prevented Bon Secours Mercy Health from building a 4,200-square-foot urgent care on a former manufacturing site in …
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The American Hospital Association (AHA) and the FBI’s Behavioral Analysis Unit collaborated on a new bulletin that offers the first in a series of practical resources to help mitigate violence in healthcare settings. The goal is to promote greater adoption of violence prevention strategies and address the escalating threats and acts of violence against healthcare facilities and workers. As the program moves forward, AHA will provide updated resources for providers to implement threat assessments and …
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What many industry observers suggested is now confirmed: The Change Healthcare cyberattack earlier this year affected personal information of 100 million people, making it the nation’s largest-ever breach of healthcare data. Parent company UnitedHealthcare recently updated the Department of Health and Human Services’ Office for Civil Rights confirming the scope of the impact. However, it could be months or years before the department completes its investigation of Change and determines a financial penalty if it …
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Cleveland Clinic has created a partnership with Amazon’s One Medical to bring new primary care clinics to northeast Ohio. The first clinic will open in 2025 with plans for future expansion, according to a press release. One Medical has membership-based services with a targeted focus on employer groups, now covering employee populations for about 10,000 employers. It provides same-day appointments and virtual care to members with a $199 annual fee (or $99 for Amazon Prime …
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As more retailers lose their enthusiasm for primary care and urgent care services, traditional provider organizations still are in no position to ignore the market share that retailers may potentially gain. Kaufman Hall’s recent newsletter notes: “If these retailers want to find success in primary care, partnering with traditional providers could be a beneficial opportunity for all parties.” With retail clinics as a convenient front door, health systems and payers with provider assets could leverage …
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Several major health systems are struggling to reach contract agreements with UnitedHealthcare (UHC) to provide care services for members covered by the insurer. Recently, Duke Health posted in a blog that its UHC reimbursement is below the 25th percentile among similar hospitals in North Carolina, which it calls “unacceptable” as it continues contracting talks with UHC. If no agreement is achieved, Duke will be out-of-network as of November 1 for several health plan products, including …
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A new UPMC joint venture with GoHealth Urgent Care announced plans to acquire a number of MedExpress urgent care locations in 2025. The organizations state that new branding will rename UPMC urgent and express care locations as UPMC-GoHealth Urgent Care, and the partners will operate MedExpress locations in Pennsylvania, West Virginia, and Virginia. New locations are also on the drawing board, they say, however, the number of new, jointly operated centers was not disclosed. Some …
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Northwest Urgent Care, LLC, has entered into an agreement to purchase 10 Arizona urgent care centers from Carbon Health. According to the announcement, the acquisition will expand capacity and bring Northwest’s total number of locations to more than 80 when the deal closes in the fourth quarter of 2024. In the past 5 years, Northwest Healthcare has invested around $200 million in the Tucson metro area, which includes the addition of 2 hospitals. Northwest Urgent …
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