Journal of Urgent Care Medicine

In Maryland, Supervised Staff Can Now Capture X-Rays

Maryland has finalized licensure-exception legislation to create a limited-scope x-ray technologist role that urgent care centers can now leverage to help extend the services their staff can provide. No license is required, but there are some criteria techs must meet, such as clinical experience, hours of training, and supervision by a licensed physician or radiologic technologist. The good news is that the staff who qualify can capture x-rays for almost any common concern, including spine, …

New HPV Screen Allows for Simplified Patient Self-Collection

The Food and Drug Administration has approved a testing protocol that allows patients to collect their own vaginal samples for human papillomavirus (HPV) screening in healthcare settings—including urgent care. It’s significant because it allows for HPV primary testing without the need for a traditional Pap smear performed with a speculum. The self-collected samples must still be sent to labs for analysis. While a Pap smear can potentially detect abnormalities in the cervix, the new HPV …

Ascension Wrestling With Cyberattack

Ascension Healthcare, with 140 hospitals and more than 50 urgent cares in 19 states, was impacted by a cyberattack earlier this month, forcing ambulances to divert and pharmacies to shut down. The system disconnected from its Epic EHR, which caused long emergency department wait times and care delays. Ascension has not given a timeline for when its systems will be fully restored, according to Healthcare Dive on its cyberattack state-by-state tracker. How much: When Change …

Patients Do Well With Hypertension Self-Care

A randomized clinical trial of 219 patients with uncontrolled hypertension showed in a secondary analysis that self-management programs including home blood pressure monitoring and self-titration of antihypertensive medication resulted in good outcomes. Published in JAMA Network Open, the study found significant reduction in systolic blood pressure (adjusted mean difference, −3.4 mm Hg) and diastolic blood pressure (adjusted mean difference, −2.5 mm Hg) at 24 months. What’s more, patients had no increase in the use of …

Semaglutide Keeps Weight Off For Years

Yet another study is underscoring the benefits of semaglutide, as published in Nature Medicine this week. In a cardiovascular outcomes trial involving 17,604 adults with preexisting cardiovascular disease, overweight, or obesity without diabetes, semaglutide showed a 20% reduction in major adverse cardiovascular events. Those treated with semaglutide sustained weight loss for up to 4 years. Authors say improvements in cardiovascular risk factors can begin with weight loss of just 5%, and in the study, semaglutide was …

Keeping an Eye on the H5N1 Virus

The H5N1 avian flu virus is spreading in dairy cows across the country, however, the risk of human-to-human transmission is rare. Because the virus is spreading so rapidly, scientists are considering wastewater sampling for surveillance, according to CIDRAP. Baylor College of Medicine and the University of Texas Health Sciences Center researchers reported 19 of 23 monitored wastewater sites had at least 1 result of H5N1 detected in wastewater from March 4 to April 25. It’s …

UCs in NY Can No Longer Require Credit Cards Kept on File

The North East Regional Urgent Care Association (NERUCA) Governmental Affairs Committee recently notified members via email about a freshly minted New York budget rule that includes provisions that effectively prohibit urgent care (UC) operators from requiring patients to leave credit card information on file for payment. Most UCs require a card on file so they can collect the appropriate out-of-pocket responsibility after claims adjudication. However, the new law, General Business Law 519-a, essentially eliminates any …

Non-Antibiotic Treatment for Bacterial Vaginosis Could Be a First-Line Choice

A randomized controlled trial conducted in Europe found that dequalinium chloride has good efficacy for treating bacterial vaginosis (BV) in women without the use of antibiotics. When compared with the antibiotic metronidazole, dequalinium chloride was not only noninferior, it also had better tolerability and fewer adverse events, as published in JAMA Network Open. Study authors believe dequalinium chloride could help reduce antibiotic consumption and could be considered as first-line treatment for bacterial vaginosis with less …

Kentucky First State to Decriminalize Medical Errors

Kentucky passed a law that protects healthcare workers from being criminally prosecuted for medical errors. One of the upsides is that physicians, nurses, and other practitioners might be encouraged to report errors to improve patient safety. In terms of workforce, the state’s nurses association believes the law’s protections will help recruit more nurses to the profession, as reported by MedPage Today. State licensing boards can still review mistakes and take action as necessary. A ceremony …

DOJ Launches Healthcare Monopoly Task Force

Last week, the Justice Department developed a new task force focused on healthcare monopolies, which will be tasked with investigating industry market consolidation, workforce issues, quality of care, access, and data management, according to a press release. Department officials are increasingly concerned about consolidation in healthcare. For example, the recent Change Health cyberattack shed new light on the size and reach of UnitedHealth Group and its many arms—including the Optum line of business that is …