Journal of Urgent Care Medicine

Proposed X-Ray Rules Heighten Radiation Protection Standards

Newly proposed legislation in Arizona aims to regulate radiation safety beyond the current federal and state standards, according to AZ Mirror. Proponents say the package represents a first-in-the-nation push focused on “radiation protection systems” for interventional x-ray. For example, it requires hospitals performing real-time x-ray procedures to install enhanced protection systems in at least 50% of their procedure rooms by July 2027, and the system must include shielding that offers protection equivalent to or better …

Ohio Aims To Update Supervision Of X-Ray Techs, Improving Access In Urgent Care

Proposed legislation in Ohio might improve x-ray staffing in urgent care, and it could also have a significant effect on urgent cares’ bottom lines. The state has been a policy outlier because Ohio requires a physician to be physically on-site to provide direct supervision for general x-ray machine operators—which doesn’t align with the reality of today’s urgent care staffing model where centers are predominantly led by nurse practitioners (NPs) and physician assistants (PAs). The bill …

Only Physicians Can Be Called “Doctor” In California

In California, a judge has ruled that nurses, nurse practitioners, and other clinical professionals with doctorate degrees cannot refer to themselves as “doctors.” Only physicians and surgeons can use the word “doctor” or the title “Dr.” before their names. The American Medical Association and other professional organizations have long held that only those with MD or DO credentials should be labeled as “doctors” to avoid confusion or misperception by patients. Who are you? This highly …

Unpaid Medical Bills Will Remain Part of Consumer Credit Reports

A federal judge has overturned a previous Biden administration rule that would have removed about $49 billion in medical debt from consumers’ credit reports. The rule until now had been caught up in court battles. Even so, last year, the 3 major credit bureaus voluntarily said they would exclude medical debts under $500 from their reporting. The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) estimated that if implemented, the rule could have erased medical debt from the …

Texas, Louisiana Mandate Nutrition CME For Clinicians

New laws in Louisiana and Texas will soon require clinicians to complete continuing medical education (CME) courses in nutrition. Under guidance of the state’s medical board, Louisiana physicians and physician assistants will be required to complete at least 1 hour of nutrition and metabolic health CME every 4 years. Physicians, nurses, dietitians, and allied health professionals in Texas who submit an application for licensure renewal will need to complete nutrition CME first. Professional boards responsible …

Two States Have Now Adopted ‘Physician Associate’ Title

Maine this month enacted legislation to change the professional title typically known as “physician assistant” (PA) to “physician associate.” It is the second state to do so; Oregon adopted the physician associate designation in April 2024. A 2-year advocacy campaign led by the Maine Academy of Physician Associates helped to influence the change, according to a press release. Nationally, the American Academy of Physician Associates (AAPA) voted in 2021 to adopt “physician associate” as the …

Mississippi’s Expanded Scope of Practice Bill Will Not Move Forward

In Mississippi, the House of Representatives passed a bill in February that would have allowed advanced practice nurses (APRNs) to treat patients without a collaboration agreement with a physician after accruing 8,000 hours of experience. However, the bill and another similar bill ultimately didn’t reach a vote before the legislative session ended earlier this month. The American Medical Association and the Mississippi State Medical Association lobbied against this expansion in scope of practice for APRNs …

Ohio X-Ray Regulations Shackle Urgent Care Growth

Most of the legislative issues that affect urgent care operations are governed at the state level, particularly provider scope-of-practice laws. A recent guest column in the Columbus Dispatch by Alan Ayers, MBA, MAcc, President of Urgent Care Consultants and Senior Editor of JUCM, makes the case for urgent care’s untapped potential in providing affordable access to care in rural areas. Kentucky and Indiana are witnessing growth in rural urgent care, but Ohio is lagging because …

Radiation Exposure Varies Widely in CT Scans, Medicare Wants Data

New regulations that began in January require hospitals and outpatient centers in certain Medicare quality payment programs to collect and report data summarizing the radiation doses resulting from the computed tomography (CT) scans they deliver. The rule is meant to improve patient safety by tracking the wide variation in radiation exposure—the doses can vary by an order of magnitude of tenfold or more. According to Kaiser Health News, providers must comply with data reporting rules …

Oregon Seeks to Edit Titles of AI ‘Nurses’

This month, the Oregon House of Representatives gave its blessing to House Bill 2748, which mandates that the title “nurse” can only be used exclusively for human beings who practice nursing—in other words, artificial intelligence (AI) systems cannot use the term “nurse.” Lawmakers introduced the bill after concerns that AI chatbot “nurses” could mislead patients. The bill now moves to the Oregon Senate. “As AI adoption grows in medical practice, there will be greater implications …

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