Journal of Urgent Care Medicine

Research Report: Consumer-Centric Healthcare Favors Urgent Care

A trend toward high-deductible health plans and new technologies that ease access are pushing consumers to demand more from healthcare encounters, according to a new research report from CBInsights. This is evidenced by the growing popularity of “wearable” health-tracking devices and telemedicine services, but also in the number of patients who continue to flock to urgent care centers, according to the report. That, in turn, makes the industry attractive to private-equity investors, who “see opportunities …

UCA White Paper Reveals Trends in Urgent Care

A newly published report from the Urgent Care Association reveals just how far the industry has come from its “doc in a box” days, to the point that it’s now a key element of the healthcare continuum. In fact, urgent care centers account for 18.2% of all primary care visits and 9.7% of outpatients visits overall in the U.S. The Essential Role of the Urgent Care Center in Population Health also offers new data indicating …

Mercy Stresses the Urgent Care Option as ED Volume Swells

Like many facilities across the country, Mercy Hospital in Fort Smith, AR wrestles with overcrowding in the emergency room, especially during flu season. In addition to higher patient volume, resources are further stretched due to staff calling in sick in greater numbers. The administration is dealing with the crisis by employing all available resources, including making the most of the flexibility of the urgent care model. Mercy has dedicated one location specifically to patients presenting …

FDA Recommends Scaling Down X-rays for Children

The Food and Drug Administration has issued a new guidance suggesting there should be something of a kids’ menu for imaging, one that employs the lowest dose of radiation possible when imaging younger patients (or avoids x-rays altogether, if feasible). “Pediatric patients generally require less radiation than adults to obtain a quality image from an x-ray exam, so doctors must take extra care to ‘child size’ the radiation dose,” the FDA said in a statement. …

Flu Rates Have Hospital Systems Pushing Patients to Urgent Care

Pardee UNC Health Care in North Carolina and WVU Medicine in West Virginia are among the hospitals and systems advising area residents to make full use of local urgent care centers as flu cases mount, slamming emergency rooms with more visitors than they can handle efficiently. Pardee is pleading with area residents who have flu-like symptoms—or any non–life-threatening complaint—to stay away from the ED and instead visit one of its urgent care facilities. In getting …

Banner Health, Select Medical Enter New Partnership

Banner Health is joining Select Medical on an initiative to combine operations of more than 38 physical therapy centers in Arizona and four acute inpatient rehabilitation hospitals located in Phoenix. Banner, which operates 33 urgent care centers in Arizona, Colorado, and Wyoming, will be the majority owner and Select Medical the managing partner. Construction on three new acute inpatient rehabilitation hospitals will start later this year. Down the road, some existing hospitals will be consolidated …

Urgent Care Centers Greet the Holidays on a Charitable Note

Davam Urgent Care in Montgomery County, TX and New England Urgent Care in the Hartford, CT area are among the operators extending themselves on behalf of those in need this holiday season. Davam is donating $500 it took in administering flu shots in the month of November to help Magnolia Independent School District continue recovery from Hurricane Harvey. New England Urgent Care is running its first-ever holiday toy and coat drive. All four locations are …

New Data Reveal ED Spending Rose 85% Between 2009 and 2015

Emergency department spending jumped 85% over a 7-year period ending in 2015, according to new research by the Health Care Cost Institute (HCCI), even though ED use remained relatively stable. The reason for the increase in spending, according to the report, is that hospitals coded and charged more for high-severity cases during that timeframe. Drawing on charges associated with more than 70 million ED bills, HCCI found that visits billed to CPT codes 99285 and …

Evolving Technology and Business Models Will Propel Virtual Care Market for Years

Whether web-, cloud-, or app-based, the virtual care market is expected to continue growing as technologies and business models keep evolving through at least 2027, according to a report form Persistence Market Research (PMR). Video applications (ie, via laptop, tablet, smartphones, and desktops) are expected to be more popular and prevalent than straight telephone communication or kiosks at employer sites, pharmacies, and hospitals. The shortage in primary care providers will also ensure that need grows …

UnitedHealthCare Wades Deeper into the Provider World by Buying HealthCare Partners

The line between payers and providers bent even further this week, as UnitedHealth Group Inc. announced plans to buy HealthCare Partners from DaVita Inc. It’s the second major acquisition of its kind for UHC this year; the company paid $2.3 billion for Surgical Care Affiliates just last March. The latest proposed deal came to light just days after CVS Health said it’s buying Aetna. It’s all part of a strategy for health insurers to lower …