Practice Management
Michigan companies can’t fill jobs because too many people can’t pass a drug test, screams a headline reposted to Crain’s Detroit Business from Bridge Magazine. It’s not just idle chatter, either; the article under that headline quotes data from Quest Diagnostics’ Drug Testing Index, as well as workplace experts and state officials in Michigan. The problem may be especially acute in Traverse City, MI, but for reasons that would be applicable to any number of …
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The unabated epidemic of opioid and synthetic opioid addiction has moved President Trump to declare it a national public health emergency. It’s also moving occupational health providers, including some urgent care operators, to look at updating the drug screens they give as part of their pre-employment examinations. Tennessee Occupational Health, for one, reports that as much as 80% of positive drug tests they see show evidence of opiates. As recently as 5 years, ago, marijuana …
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Availability of telemedicine offered by larger employers in the U.S. is close to reaching a saturation point, as 96% of large employers are expected to offer it in their array of health benefits in states where it’s allowed next year. In stark contrast is the fact that only 8% of workers at one out of five of those companies’ workers are taking advantage of it, according to the Large Employers’ 2018 Health Care Strategy and …
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These are complicated times for urgent care operators who offer occupational medicine services like employee drug screens. The opioid crisis across the country muddies the waters even more, as state laws and medical practice guidelines seek to inhibit the use of opioid pain medications in order to stem increases in addiction and related deaths. Many employers are following suit, but be mindful that even well-intentioned drug testing programs can have severe consequences—for the company. Most …
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More American workers are failing tests for illegal drugs these days than in many years. Quest Diagnostics reports that 4.2% of the 8.9 million employee drug tests it administered last year came back positive; that’s the highest rate since 2004. Marijuana remains the most prevalent, though other drugs are also on the rise. This is especially surprising, given the fact that so many states have looser laws on marijuana use for medical or recreational purposes. …
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Members of the Golden Gate Restaurant Association (GGRA) who work 8 to 20 hours a week in San Francisco eateries now have a place to go for walk-in care without paying anything out of pocket. Dignity Health-GoHealth Urgent Care reached an agreement with the GGRA to provide at least four visits per year to its centers (more for GGRA members who work more hours, according to a formula worked out under the city’s Health Care …
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It can be easy to become complacent about doing driver physicals required by the Department of Transportation. “Rubber stamping” them can have dire consequences for the patient, the employer, and the general public, and even raise your legal risk, however. Occ med and urgent care giant Concentra has been hit with a class action lawsuit in connection with a multiple-fatality bus crash in Maryland last November. The complaint claims that Concentra knew or should have …
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The ongoing surge in misuse of, and addiction to, opioid pain medications increases the appeal of worker drug testing to many employers, as well as to the federal government. In fact, it’s a cornerstone of efforts to identify people who use opioids inappropriately so they can get help before a tragedy occurs. Since urine tests work and are relatively inexpensive, they’re often employed by urgent care providers who offer occupational medicine services. The problem is …
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Urgent care operators who offer occupational medicine services have gotten very adept at making their case for blue collar worksites, as well as corporate offices. Now public schools are catching on to its benefits—as in the Appleton WI area, where employee health clinics are saving districts big money while providing efficient care when and where it’s needed most. The Kimberly, Appleton, and Neenah public schools are among the districts that have opened clinics run by …
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Mindful of the rampant overuse and abuse of opioid medications, the U.S. Department of Transportation has proposed adding four of the most common—hydrocodone, oxycodone, oxymorphone, and hydromorphone—to its list of drugs that drivers must be screened for in urine analysis tests. Following through would bring the DOT testing protocol up to date with current Health and Human Services guidelines. There’s no date set for when the proposed changes would take effect. Urgent care providers who …
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