Journal of Urgent Care Medicine

COVID-19 Is Not Only Surging–It’s Striking More Children Than Ever

As the mainstream media remind us several times a day, the United States continues to break records for daily confirmed cases of COVID-19. What is lost in the big picture, however, is the changing breakdown of who is being infected. Early in the pandemic, there was a perception that children were somehow less susceptible to the virus. However, according to new data from the American Academy of Pediatrics, children now make up 11.3% of all …

Curb Antibiotic Prescribing for Children—Before It’s Too Late

Just recently, we told you about Intermountain Healthcare’s efforts to improve its providers’ antibiotic prescribing habits through educational initiatives—and its success in establishing better antibiotic stewardship. Now a study published in the journal Pediatrics reveals similar progress with pediatricians affiliated with NorthShore University HealthSystem and the American Academy of Pediatrics’ practice based-research network. The program that formed the basis of the study involved 19 pediatric practices and reflected 72,723 visits between November 2015 and June …

Taking Precautions Against COVID-19 at Work Is Great—but Don’t Let Your Guard Down Once You Leave

Urgent care centers have developed sound practices to ensure the safety of staff members and patients when it comes to reducing risk for exposure to COVID-19. Anecdotal evidence suggests they’ve been effective, too. However, you should be aware that a study in Minnesota found one third of COVID-19 exposures among healthcare workers can be attributed to family and community exposure. The study, conducted by the Minnesota Department of Health and published in Morbidity and Mortality …

Cannabis Toxicity Cases Are Likely to Reach New Highs. Is Your Team Prepared?

Referendums on further legalization of marijuana just passed in several states. Proponents of such measures tend to focus on the law enforcement and tax revenue aspects, but urgent care providers should keep in mind that lowering hurdles to use of any type of cannabis product is likely to also increase incidence of patients presenting with signs of toxicity. In fact, edible cannabis toxicity has been on the rise for the past 2 years, according to …

Remember the Less Advantaged as Thanksgiving Approaches—and Your Patients Are Likely to Remember Your Kindness

With the news dominated by the COVID-19 pandemic since last spring, it’s easy for the public to forget that “everyday” problems like food insecurity persist (and, in fact, could be worse at this time due to the downturn in the economy). IMA Urgent Care Centers and Primary Care Offices in New Jersey hasn’t forgotten, though, and are working with a local nonprofit organization to host a Thanksgiving food drive, just as they’ve done in years …

Five Key Signs Could Predict Whether Your COVID-19 Patient Is Headed for Hospitalization

Recognizing which patients with COVID-19 will require hospitalization has been something of a crapshoot unless one presents in obvious distress. That may be changing, however, thanks to a new tool that is purported to aid in predicting who is likely to end up in the hospital. As detailed in a new article published in The Journal of Infectious Diseases, the COVID-19 acuity score (CoVA) draws on demographic, clinical, radiographic, and medical history variables that assess …

Helpful or Not, Patients Now Have the Right to Read Your Notes

As of November 2, your patients (and all patients in the U.S.) are entitled to immediate access to clinical notes related to their care, along with all test results and pathology and imaging results thanks to the 21st Century Cures Act. The newly enacted law requires healthcare facilities to provide timely, electronic access to consultations, discharge summaries, history, physical examination findings, imaging narratives, laboratory and pathology report narratives, and procedure and progress notes. While this …

New COVID-19 Testing Platforms Are on the Way. Now if We Can Only Improve Reporting…

Shortfalls in testing supplies—especially in urgent care centers—was a serious problem at the outset of the COVID-19 pandemic in the United States. Anecdotal evidence suggests that one reason the virus spread so widely and quickly was that asymptomatic patients who didn’t know they were sick (and infectious) went about their business instead of quarantining. Supply chain issues have, largely, been ironed out so there’s no shortage of places to get tested. However, an article published …

You Knew It All Along, but Now There’s Proof—Delaying Care May Be Riskier Than COVID-19

PowerPoint Presentation Urgent care professionals recognized early on that patients were not seeking care for complaints they would have presented with before the COVID-19 pandemic. Now there are data backing up that belief. According to information gathered by the consulting firm Advisory Board, total urgent care center volumes dropped 50% in the spring. As you know, they’ve come back strong since then, although Cedars-Sinai in Los Angeles reports that its urgent care locations are still …

From Brick-and-Mortar to Highways and Byways: Taking COVID-19 Testing on the Road

PowerPoint Presentation As the incidence of COVID-19 continues to creep up around the country, it wouldn’t be surprising if we see fear of visiting healthcare facilities return among the public. Given that testing for the virus is essential to minimizing its spread, that could spell trouble on the same level as we experienced last spring. Some urgent care centers have taken to establishing temporary testing sites in retail parking lots. Some, like American Family Care …