Journal of Urgent Care Medicine

Oregon Seeks to Limit PE Ownership of Urgent Cares

In Oregon, proposed legislation could dramatically limit corporate ownership of primary care, specialty, and urgent care clinics. Proponents say they’re concerned about the potential quality issues, staff reductions, increased costs, and the “depersonalization” of ownership they believe comes with private equity control, according to an article by Oregon Public Broadcasting. The bill’s language builds on existing rules in the state and would require clinics with corporate ownership to ensure the majority owners (51%) are physicians. …

Duke UC Staff Adopt Honeybee Mascot

The Duke Urgent Care Hillsborough clinic in Hillsborough, North Carolina, treats about 110 patients per day. And every one of them likely notices that the staff and clinicians have adopted the hard-working honeybee as the center’s official mascot. As part of an employee experience program, workers chose the mascot and decorated the space with bee-themed wall art, signs and plush animals. Many staff wear bee icons on their name tags as well. “We liked what the honeybee …

Nursing Workforce Recovering After Pandemic

A recent study in JAMA Health Forum analyzing national data on registered nurses (RNs) revealed a recent recovery in the size of the nursing workforce following the substantial drop recorded during the pandemic. Despite a drastic decline of more than 100,000 RNs in 2021, the workforce saw a resurgence in 2022 and 2023. This recovery indicates a promising trajectory with forecasts indicating that by 2035, the workforce will reach 4.56 million nurses, adding an estimated …

Physician Fined for Lax Supervision of NP

A California nurse practitioner (NP) with a doctorate degree was fined $20,000 in 2022 for illegally presenting herself as a physician and referring to herself as “doctor” when interacting with patients. The NP, Sarah Erny, was supervised by Anika Moore, MD, who has now been fined $25,000 for unlawful supervision of Erny’s conduct, according to Medscape. An investigation found that Moore—who lived in Massachusetts—never reviewed any medical records for Erny’s patients, and Erny ultimately opened …

UT Health Adds New Urgent Cares Through Acquisition

UT Health East Texas has completed the acquisition of 5 QuickVisit Urgent Care clinics plus a separate acquisition of the UT Health East Texas Urgent Care from Premier Health. According to a press release, patients who need follow-up care at these newly added sites will have a fast-track option to see a UT Health East Texas physician or affiliated specialist. It’s a model not uncommon among health systems to encourage loyalty by making it easy …

Baptist Memorial JV Opens 10 Centers

Baptist Memorial Health Care recently announced the opening of 10 new urgent care (UC) centers in Tennessee, Mississippi, and Arkansas under the Baptist Urgent Care flag. The UC organization is a joint venture partnership between Baptist Memorial Health Care and the Urgent Team Family of Urgent Care & Walk-In Centers. According to a press release, the centers are accredited by the Urgent Care Association. Urgent Team operates 85 total centers offering urgent care, primary care, occupational, specialty …

Amazon Discovers That Healthcare Is Complicated

From its acquisition of One Medical primary care to its online pharmacy, Amazon has a history of trying to disrupt the status quo. However, the news is out that Amazon has now laid off “a few hundred” of its staff within these healthcare lines of business and is closing at least 3 One Medical corporate offices. Richard Zane, MD, chief innovation officer of UCHealth in Colorado, which offers urgent care services, recently told Becker’s Hospital …

Nearly Half of Nurses Say There’s More Violence in the Workplace Now

Across the healthcare industry, workers are experiencing a surge in violence, much of it first instigated by the widespread fear and frustration everyone felt during the COVID-19 pandemic. According to a new survey from National Nurses United (NNU), a majority of nurses have encountered workplace violence with 45.5% reporting rates have actually increased in the past year. Among respondents, 81.6% experienced at least one type of workplace violence in 2023. The most common forms of …

Healthcare Groups Promote Obesity Bill of Rights

Advocacy organizations recently launched a campaign promoting an “Obesity Bill of Rights.” The declaration speaks to the rights of individuals with obesity to be treated respectfully and to receive patient-centered, high-quality healthcare. For example, the advocacy groups call for the right to accessible obesity treatment that allows for privacy and uses equipment that fits patients’ bodies. That could translate to blood pressure cuffs of an appropriate size, larger gowns and drapes, or even larger chairs …

Dramatic Rise in Syphilis Cases Contribute to Penicillin Shortage

Syphilis rates increased by nearly 80% between 2018 and 2022, and what’s making matters worse is the ongoing shortage of injectable penicillin, the go-to treatment for patients with syphilis. Public health agencies now are recommending providers ration the drug, according to Kaiser Health News. Pregnant patients should be prioritized first because penicillin is considered the safest treatment for the population. Doxycycline would be an appropriate drug for syphilis cases, but it’s discouraged for pregnant moms …