Practice Management
According to a JAMA study, providers are increasingly billing patient-initiated text messages as “telemedicine.” Not to be confused with synchronous video visits, more than 100,000 such text-message charges were billed per month in 2022, and monthly volume increased 40% from Q4 of 2021 to Q4 of 2022. That’s the same comparison period in which urgent care visits were down significantly as the SARS-CoV-2 Omicron variant emerged. Top UC diagnoses: “What really stands out are the top …
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Pharmaceutical company Eli Lilly just launched its own telehealth website where patients can access physician appointments and the prescription drug tirzepatide (Mounjaro and Zepbound) for weight loss. The new LillyDirect platform also offers free home-delivery service, but it will not provide discounts on tirzepatide. As described in a news story in People, Mounjaro is approved to treat type 2 diabetes, and Zepbound is approved to treat obesity, each with a list price of more than $1,000 for a …
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The term “physician associate” seems to have cyclical comebacks, according to Becker’s Hospital Review. The American Academy of Physician Assistants changed its name in 2021 to the American Academy of Physician Associates and today simultaneously uses the acronym “PA” with both physician associate and physician assistant titles. However, the academy has changed its name before, reflecting membership and industry roles. The majority of urgent care visits—some 85%, according to Experity data—are delivered by either PAs …
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WellNow urgent care and health insurer Excellus BlueCross BlueShield were not able to reach an agreement on network status prior to the ultimate expiration of the 2023 contract year, according to a news report on Syracuse.com. Both companies say they’ve engaged in good-faith discussions in an attempt to continue the contract for 2024, and Excellus reportedly offered an increase in reimbursement during negotiations. WellNow is the sole storefront provider of urgent care in central New …
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Sterling Urgent Care recently cut ribbons on 4 new locations in Boise, Idaho, with an additional location set to open its doors in the state in spring of 2024, according to a press release. The center openings will bring the total number of Sterling rooftops to 19 locations across Idaho, Wyoming, and Utah, with a new entry into Montana planned for the future. The urgent care operator has a unique model in that it’s owned …
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In Arkansas, a new rule will begin January 1, 2024, allowing ambulance services to triage, treat, and transport patients to alternative destinations, including urgent care centers, physician offices, and behavioral health facilities. However, the ambulance service will be on-task to first coordinate the patient’s care with a physician or a behavioral health specialist via telemedicine. Insurers will also be required to cover 911-initiated ambulance dispatch resulting in telemedicine triage, transportation to the alternative destination, and/or treatment …
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In January 2023, pharmacy chain CVS made an investment of $100 million in Carbon Health—a primary care and urgent care operation—presumably to augment the limited scope of CVS’ existing MinuteClinic business. Now, CVS retail stores in the Northeast are starting to show signs of Carbon Health’s entrance. According to Salem News (Massachusetts), locations in the cities of Beverly and Swampscott are planning to open new in-store clinics that will replace and significantly expand on the …
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The Home Test to Treat program, a virtual community-health initiative created by the federal government, has scaled up to offer free nationwide testing and treatment services for COVID-19 and influenza. Offering at-home rapid tests, telehealth sessions, and home-delivered medication, the program is a collaboration among three federal agencies. Uninsured adults or those enrolled in Medicare, Medicaid, Veterans Affairs, or the Indian Health Services can now enroll to receive free tests. Positive test results allow patients …
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In a cohort study of more than 2.7 million emergency department (ED) visits published in JAMA Network Open, researchers found long wait times and lengths of stay were common at children’s hospitals during the 2022 surge of viral respiratory illnesses. They studied visits across 25 EDs from September 1 to December 31, 2022, including 301,688 pediatric visits for viral and respiratory illness, such as COVID-19 and respiratory syncytial virus. The experience during this time period …
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Under the “Live Healthy” initiative proposed by Florida lawmakers in early December, every hospital emergency department (ED) would need to create a plan for handling patients who present with non-emergent conditions and/or for those who do not have access to a primary care physician. The aim of the proposed legislation is to divert non-emergent ED visits to urgent care or primary care, thus saving ED resources and encouraging less costly preventive care. If passed, the rules would …
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