Practice Management
Drugmakers are developing new iterations of GLP-1 weight loss drugs that could result in fewer side effects. According to a news item in Becker’s Hospital Review, 27 GLP-1 drugs are in development, but the majority of the data is based on animal studies or early-stage human trials. In one example, researchers are optimistic about the experimental drug petrelinitide, which was shown to reduce body weight by an average of nearly 9% at 16 weeks. It …
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More than 80% of consumers live or work within 15 minutes of an urgent care (UC) center, according to a national survey from healthcare communications firm Jarrard. Not at all surprising, nearly 40% of the survey respondents said the convenience of walking in was the top reason why they chose to go to UC instead of primary care for their most recent UC visit, followed by the convenience of getting an appointment in the expected …
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CityMD, which operates more than 175 urgent care centers in New York and New Jersey, has agreed to pay $12 million to settle allegations of violating the False Claims Act. The allegations state that for 2 years, CityMD knowingly submitted false claims to a federal health program for uninsured patients for COVID-19 testing. The Justice Department says CityMD failed to adequately verify patients’ insurance status, submitting claims for those who already had insurance. Additionally, CityMD …
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MedWise Urgent Care and the family services agency in Tulsa, Oklahoma, are partnering to provide easier access to mental healthcare services. Patients who walk into a MedWise clinic can connect with a specialist for behavioral health needs. A local crisis call center that provides support to more than 14,000 people a year will extended its services to 12 MedWise Urgent Care centers in the Tulsa area and northeast Oklahoma. In real-time, patients can collaborate with …
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Goldman Sachs Alternatives recently announced its acquisition of Xpress Wellness, LLC. Xpress Wellness is affiliated with a physician-led rural healthcare platform that includes urgent care clinics serving Oklahoma, Kansas, and Texas. The deal is positioned to accelerate the development of new and existing markets as well as to build out additional healthcare services, according to a press release. Recent moves: Within the portfolio of Latticework Capital Management since 2018, Xpress Wellness opened 30 de novos …
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The Joint Commission recently announced a new telehealth accreditation program (TEL) applicable to eligible hospitals and ambulatory care providers, including urgent cares. The TEL program requirements will be released this month with formal applications opening on July 1, 2024. New telehealth-specific requirements include: streamlined emergency management to address remote care rather than in a physical building; new standards for telehealth provider and patient education about the use of telehealth platforms and devices; and new standards …
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Banner Urgent Care facilities have launched a new dashboard system aimed at enhancing disease tracking capabilities across the region for coccidioidomycosis (“San Joaquin Valley fever” or “valley fever”), according to the University of Arizona website. The dashboard aggregates real-time data from all Banner locations to determine the percentage of positive cases, report patients’ symptoms, and track the timing of infections. Banner aims to pinpoint high-risk areas where the disease is more prevalent to help speed …
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On a recent conference call, Optum notified some employees that its virtual care division will cease operations in July, according to Becker’s Health IT. Optum Virtual Care launched in 2021 and covers all 50 states. At UnitedHealth’s investor conference in November, Optum’s CEO implied that virtual care is a crowded market, and more recently, employees on social media have reported a significant workforce reduction at Optum, ranging from nurse case managers to senior director and …
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Private equity firms were responsible for a significant number of healthcare sector bankruptcies last year, and another round of bankruptcies is anticipated in 2024. Nearly all of the financially strained healthcare companies in the United States are under private equity ownership, according to a report from the nonprofit Private Equity Stakeholder Project (PESP), which analyzes the impact of private equity ownership across multiple industries. PESP reported that last year, private equity-backed companies accounted for at …
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A new report from the University of Michigan found 60% of people aged 50 to 80 have visited an urgent care (UC) clinic or a retail store, workplace, or mobile health clinic setting within the past 2 years. The university’s National Poll on Healthy Aging analysis notes that urgent care clinics were the top choice among these alternative sites of care: 47% of respondents say they have accessed UC at least once, and 23% visited …
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