Practice Management
Many Americans lack information about sexually transmitted infections (STIs), a new University of Pennsylvania Annenberg Public Policy Center survey shows. Just over half of survey respondents (54%) know that syphilis can be cured, however, 84% incorrectly believe that a vaccine is available. As many as 30% don’t know the signs and symptoms of syphilis, including sores, swollen lymph nodes, fever, etc., but 77% know that using a condom could protect them. The incorrect responses are …
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More than 80% of consumers live or work within 15 minutes of an urgent care (UC) center, according to a national survey from healthcare communications firm Jarrard. Not at all surprising, nearly 40% of the survey respondents said the convenience of walking in was the top reason why they chose to go to UC instead of primary care for their most recent UC visit, followed by the convenience of getting an appointment in the expected …
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One Medical is under fire for failing to prioritize some patients who had symptoms that should have received immediate attention. The crux of the problem is that the virtual and in-person primary care provider—now owned by Amazon as a result of a $3.9 billion deal from February 2023—routes patients to a call center that is staffed in part by contractors with limited training, according to the Washington Post. The news outlet cites leaked documents that …
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New analysis from the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) indicates that nearly 18 million US adults have experienced long COVID. Data gathered through the agency’s Medical Expenditure Panel Survey of more than 17,400 adults found 8,275 had a history of COVID-19, and 1,202 reported long-COVID symptoms. Women (8.6%) were more likely than men (5.1%) to report long COVID, and adults aged 35 to 64 were more affected than other age groups. White and …
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Preliminary findings from ongoing testing by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) indicate that Americans have little to no pre-existing immunity to the H5N1 avian flu virus found on dairy and poultry farms. The CDC’s conclusions are based on blood samples collected from the 2021-2023 flu seasons. These samples showed low antibody levels against the H5N1 virus, suggesting minimal immunity. Despite this, the risk to the general public remains low, according to CDC, …
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For most physicians, medicine is a calling, but for Roger Hicks, MD, FCUCM, and his daughter Marya Hicks, MD, medicine is also a team effort. As it turns out, both Roger and Marya care for patients at the same urgent care center. Patients arriving at the Dignity Health Medical Group Urgent Care of Sierra Nevada in Grass Valley, California, might not realize their care is delivered by a father-daughter duo. In a recent live interview …
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During the 2022-2023 season, pediatric hospitalizations for respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) doubled compared to the previous year. This information comes from a study in JAMA Network Open involving 700,000 children, examining RSV-related hospitalizations and intensive care unit (ICU) admissions from July 1, 2017, to March 31, 2023. The hospitalization rate was 289.1 per 100,000 children in 2021-2022, which is consistent with the rates from 2017 to 2020. However in the following year, the 2022-2023 season …
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Public health officials in the Seattle area are advising local residents of a pediatric case of measles that presented to Franciscan Urgent Care – West Seattle. Because the measles virus can remain in the air for hours, there may be concerns of potential exposure for anyone who was in the center between 3:30PM and 8:00PM on June 10, they say. The most likely time an exposed person might develop symptoms would be between June 17 …
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Top officials of the digital health operator Done Global were arrested last week for alleged healthcare fraud that drove about $100 million worth of stimulant drugs into consumers’ hands. According to the Department of Justice press release, the CEO and the clinical leader of Done Global allegedly created a scheme to provide access to attention deficit-hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) drugs for consumers in exchange for monthly subscription fees on the telemedicine platform. The company spent millions …
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CityMD, which operates more than 175 urgent care centers in New York and New Jersey, has agreed to pay $12 million to settle allegations of violating the False Claims Act. The allegations state that for 2 years, CityMD knowingly submitted false claims to a federal health program for uninsured patients for COVID-19 testing. The Justice Department says CityMD failed to adequately verify patients’ insurance status, submitting claims for those who already had insurance. Additionally, CityMD …
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