Practice Management
The Urgent Care College of Physicians (UCCOP) recently submitted its application to the Specialty and Service Society (SSS) of the American Medical Association (AMA). The application is the first step toward specialty recognition. According to UCCOP, the strategic initiative is part of an effort to amplify the voice of urgent care clinicians within the AMA. The SSS decision should be forthcoming in November. Entrance into the SSS requires that a percentage of UCCOP physicians be …
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CityMD is set to open a new urgent care clinic in Norwalk, Connecticut, later this month. For the past 15 years, CityMD has operated clinics in New York and New Jersey, and the new location is the company’s first expansion beyond those 2 states, according to a press release. A second Connecticut location will open in Fairfield in 2025. New neighbors: CityMD partners with Summit Health, a multispecialty group that offers internal medicine, nephrology, and …
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Researchers surveyed adult patients in the waiting rooms of 6 public, safety-net primary care clinics and 2 private emergency departments in Texas and found that more than half of the respondents said they would use leftover antibiotics if they were feeling sick. Among the 546 volunteering patients surveyed, the most common situations that would inspire patients to use non-prescription antibiotics were having access to leftover antibiotics (50.4%), experiencing symptom improvement with prior use of antibiotics …
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Liraglutide, the long-acting glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1) drug, was approved for weight loss in among pediatric patients aged 12 and older who are obese. Recently, manufacturer Novo Nordisk found in a sponsored study that children between the ages of 6 and 12—a younger population—were able to reduce their body mass index by 7.4% in a 56-week trial using daily liraglutide injections, as published in the New England Journal of Medicine. The trial of 92 children met …
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For patients with autism spectrum disorder (ASD), a trip to a healthcare provider can cause distress. Many with ASD are particularly sensitive to light, sound, textures, and touches. Some have advocates, loved ones, or parents who assist with communication. Yet, few urgent care providers have the insight or the resources to improve the experience of clinic visits for those with ASD. Three Northwell Health-GoHealth pediatric centers in New York recently partnered with the national organization …
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The Cannabis Research Institute recently set up a research lab at the Illinois Medical Center in Chicago to evaluate the potential harms and benefits of marijuana. Researchers will study recreational and medical uses as well as plant cultivation. Efforts are supported by a 3-year, $7 million grant from the Illinois Department of Human Services with anticipation of applying for additional research grants from other governmental and nonprofit organizations. Even so, it can take years to …
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The Aflac Wellness Matters Survey generally reports on routine medical check-ups and cancer screenings, barriers for patients in obtaining screenings, and influences that prompt patients to seek out check-ups and screenings. The recent 2024 report also provides a small snapshot of the urgent care patient population. As cited in the survey with just over 700 employed adults ages 18-65 responding, the emergency department and urgent care centers are the main source of healthcare for many …
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New research suggests that saline nasal drops can reduce the length of the common cold in children by 2 days, according to a press release from the European Respiratory Society. The trial included 407 children up to 6 years old who were either given hypertonic saline nasal drops or usual care when they developed a cold. Parents were instructed to apply 3 saline drops per nostril, a minimum of 4 times per day, until the …
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Ohio became the latest state to embrace the PA Licensure Compact, a multistate portability agreement that allows physician assistants (PAs) to practice in any of the participating states without the need for an additional license. The compact now includes 13 states, which means an activation threshold has now been reached, according to the compact commission’s website. The entity can begin work to operationalize the compact with data systems and onboarding, which could take another year …
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Older adults who receive the respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) vaccine are 75% less likely to be hospitalized from RSV compared to those who are not vaccinated, according to a research letter in JAMA. By analyzing electronic medical record data from October 2023 to March 2024 for adults aged 60 years and older who were hospitalized with an acute respiratory illness, researchers selected a control group of 2,611 patients—who tested negative for RSV, COVID-19, and influenza—and …
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