Practice Management
At least 60% of Americans say they will probably not get an updated COVID-19 vaccine for this flu season, according to the Pew Research Center. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends vaccination for everyone 6 months and older, yet only 15% of those surveyed in October said they had received a COVID vaccine. Another 24% say they probably will get an updated vaccine. While the center reports partisan differences, there are also noteworthy …
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The H5N1 bird flu virus that recently infected a teenager in British Columbia is apparently a mutated virus strain, increasing its ability to infect humans, according to STAT News. The teen, hospitalized on November 8, was reported to be in critical condition this week. No evidence suggests the virus has spread to others, meaning this mutated strain could die out once the teen recovers. Virologists believe the mutation likely developed during the teen’s illness, though …
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Attempts to disrupt or supplant primary care haven’t gone as planned for a number of ambitious start-ups. After raising more than $600 million and reaching a valuation of $1 billion, Forward has abruptly canceled already-scheduled patient visits, disabled its app, and began shutting down its clinic locations last week. The Forward model was based on cash payment for direct primary care backed by tech-enabled care automation. Reportedly, the company had technical issues with its automated …
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The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reports that respiratory virus activity remains low nationally, while also confirming the first pediatric flu death of the 2024-2025 season, recorded in the middle of October. Overall, 201 laboratory-confirmed influenza-associated hospitalizations were reported between October 1 and November 2, 2024. Weekly trend lines show an increase of 2.4% in terms of outpatient visits to healthcare providers for respiratory illnesses for the week ending November 2. Separately, the …
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Breaking a 10-month stalemate, WellNow Urgent Care and Excellus BlueCross BlueShield (BCBS) have at last executed a new contract agreement, putting WellNow back in-network as of November 15, 2024, according to an email from WellNow. Excellus insurance plans covered about 300,000 WellNow visits in New York last year. At least 40 centers are located in Central New York where hospital closures in recent years have provided WellNow opportunities to fill gaps in access. “At WellNow …
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The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is looking to remove oral phenylephrine from its list of approved over-the-counter ingredients. After a committee review, the oral decongestant was unanimously determined to be ineffective, according to FDA. However, removal from store shelves would occur no earlier than 2026, and the agency emphasizes that its proposed ban is based on effectiveness concerns, not on safety concerns. Over-the-counter oral phenylephrine has been on the market for 30 years. Chime …
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The new Bouncebacks! Medical and Legal 13th Anniversary Edition book, created by JUCM Senior Clinical Editor Michael B. Weinstock, MD, has the potential to change practice by improving patient safety while also decreasing legal risk to the clinician. Bouncebacks! offers actual chart documentation for challenging cases, chapters on legal issues (including “How to Spot the Well-Appearing Patient Who Will Soon Be Dead,” and “Litigation Stress: A Personal Story”), specific documentation recommendations, and deposition and trial …
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In the northern Ohio market, University Hospitals (UH) has paired with WellStreet Urgent Care to open a flurry of UH-branded urgent care centers in suburban locations. Within 2 years, the joint venture is aiming to have 36 UH urgent care centers open across the region—directly competing with the existing 36 centers currently operated by UH rival Cleveland Clinic, according to Cleveland.com. UH has selected sites near its primary care offices to better close the loop …
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Ascension’s Via Christi Hospital in Kansas has acquired K+STAT Urgent Care, according to local WIBW News. While Via Christi is managing all assets and operations as of November 1, K+STAT will continue to see patients in the same location under its established brand. Via Christi has 6 hospitals and 75 care sites in the state. K+STAT is a single-site urgent care directed by 8 board certified family physicians, according to the website, and it’s the …
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Walmart has made the leap to launch a prescription home delivery service after collecting feedback from customers who say they want the service, according to a press release. The company already offers home delivery of its store products and groceries, so prescription drugs are its next logical offering. The service is now live in Arkansas, Missouri, New York, Nevada, South Carolina, and Wisconsin. In January 2025, Walmart expects to have the drug delivery service available …
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