Practice Management
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has asked state health officials to keep up with flu surveillance over the summer to watch for human-to-human spread of the H5N1 bird flu virus, according to CIDRAP. Flu surveillance generally wanes during the warmer months when there are fewer seasonal flu virus cases. H5N1 vaccines exist, but the nation is far from ready for a full-scale national vaccine program should the virus become a widespread health …
Read More
The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has reported a surge in measles cases, including 57 cases associated with a migrant shelter in Chicago, Illinois, according to a new CDC report. It previously recorded 97 confirmed cases in the first quarter of 2024. It’s a significant uptick when compared to the average of 5 cases during the first quarters of 2020-2023. Almost all recent cases were among the unvaccinated. Among the World Health …
Read More
Sonoma Specialty Hospital in Sebastopol, California, just 5 years ago was facing bankruptcy, but a sale helped to keep the facility’s doors open while also adding inpatient beds. However, the hospital’s current owner, American Advanced Management, has not made good on its obligation to operate an urgent care (UC) center to serve patients after the closure of the original hospital’s emergency department. Sonoma County is now seeking $1.3 million in loan repayment from the owners …
Read More
Goldman Sachs Alternatives recently announced its acquisition of Xpress Wellness, LLC. Xpress Wellness is affiliated with a physician-led rural healthcare platform that includes urgent care clinics serving Oklahoma, Kansas, and Texas. The deal is positioned to accelerate the development of new and existing markets as well as to build out additional healthcare services, according to a press release. Recent moves: Within the portfolio of Latticework Capital Management since 2018, Xpress Wellness opened 30 de novos …
Read More
Long COVID is possibly more prevalent than what might be recorded in electronic health record (EHR) diagnostic or referral codes, according to a descriptive study in eClinicalMedicine. Researchers analyzed clinical data from more than 19 million adults in England from November 2020 to January 2023. A total of 55,465 patients were identified with long COVID, based on 20,025 diagnostic codes and 35,440 referral codes. Median follow-up was 2.2 years, and the rate of long COVID …
Read More
A clinical panel recently issued dozens of recommendations for treating vitiligo in pediatric, adolescent, and young adult patients, as published in a consensus statement in JAMA Dermatology. The main conclusions point out that topical calcineurin inhibitors, topical corticosteroids, and topical Janus kinase inhibitors are effective treatments for vitiligo in these age groups. Treatment decisions should also consider factors such as the location of vitiligo, body surface area affected, age, and other patient-specific factors. Perhaps a …
Read More
A pediatrician hit the road recently with Incredicare, a mobile pediatric urgent care that serves 4 communities in the Las Vegas area. Incredicare was founded by Robert Wilkinson, MD, a dual-boarded physician in general pediatrics and pediatric emergency medicine who serves as the medical director of the pediatric emergency department at Summerlin Hospital. Four nurse practitioners also see patients in the colorful mobile clinic vehicle that’s decorated with a cartoon bear. Services include the typical …
Read More
Federal leaders are increasing their efforts to address healthcare cyberattacks, hard on the heels of the recent Change Healthcare and Ascension breeches. A $50 million program was announced this week to encourage the development of practical tech tools that would effectively disconnect healthcare devices such as heart monitors and electrocardiogram machines when needed then fix the weakness before bringing the machines back online. The aim is to identify vulnerabilities and customize patches that could be …
Read More
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, …
Read More
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 …
Read More