Practice Management
Just a month ago, we told you the number of current cases of Candida auris had more than doubled (from 13 to 35) in the United States. Now the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has revealed that at least 61 people have been diagnosed with C auris in recent years, and called the current situation a “catastrophic threat” to public health. The mortality rate for C auris infection is about 60%. The greatest concern …
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Having declared May to be Urgent Care Awareness Month, the Urgent Care Association has some ideas you can implement to highlight the value your urgent care center brings to the community. Benchmark Urgent & Family Care in Austin, TX, for one, is inviting its neighbors to come in for free blood pressure and blood sugar checks—a low-cost assessment for the operator that could have a high return once patients who’ve never visited before see the …
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Despite progress in recognizing the need for cost-efficient, readily available care like that found in the urgent care setting—and data demonstrating that they don’t help mitigate healthcare costs anyway—certificates of need (CONs) continue to exist. Typically, states view urgent care centers as “physician offices” that would not be subject to a CON. As healthcare markets become more saturated (ie, competitive), however, there is growing concern that those threatened by the boom in urgent care could …
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Kaiser Permanente’s heavy investment in information technology seems to be paying off, as more than half of the insurer’s 100 million-plus member–physician interactions now take place virtually. Members have said they appreciate the convenience of being able to “see” a doctor outside the office, reflecting broader trends toward healthcare consumerism (especially among young adults). The fact that 95% of Kaiser Permanente members are covered on a capitated basis frees network physicians from worries other clinicians …
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Illinois is not unique in wrestling with Medicaid managed care plan problems, but the situation there seems to have reached a boiling point and can serve as a cautionary tale for urgent care stakeholders across the country. Health system officials there complain that getting providers approved by Medicaid managed care plans has taken anywhere from 6 months up to a whole year. Prior authorizations and reimbursements have been similarly slow in coming, making it so …
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The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has issued a Health Advisory to warn clinicians of emerging Shigella strains with elevated minimum inhibitory concentration values for ciprofloxacin. The advisory outlines new guidance for clinical diagnosis, management, and reporting, and offers new recommendations for laboratories and public health officials. Recent data from the CDC, and from various state and local health agencies, indicate these strains frequently have a quinolone-resistance gene that could lead to clinically significant …
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The American Medical Association wants to help medical students deal with the reality of working within electronic health record (EHR) systems. They launched a new program, the brainchild of Indiana University School of Medicine and the Regenstrief Institute, to grant med students access to misidentified and deidentified EHR information in the classroom before they enter clerkships in order to address a gap between clinical medical education and practical skills needed in the practice setting. The …
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Speakeasies were well-advised to make their locations hard to spot. Urgent care centers, not so much, especially given that patients are not at their best when they’re looking for you, and the industry’s “brand” is so tied in to convenience. Local zoning boards have rules governing location, size, and general appearance of signage, though, so be sure to stay on the right side of the law when devising yours. My Care Urgent Care in Columbus, …
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Some of the masterminds behind Uber, Trulia, and OpenTable have set their sights on the urgent care marketplace—not to start operating clinics, but by facilitating patient visits. Solv launched recently with an aim to make “booking” urgent care time in a way similar to how diners use OpenTable to book tables in a restaurant. The company, led by former Trulia executives Heather Mirjahangir Fernandez and Daniele Farnedi, got $6.25 million in funding from Benchmark Capital, …
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The Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) wants to test the viability of allowing veterans covered by their plans to get care at CVS MinuteClinics. The new program, limited to the Phoenix area, is seemingly a response to complaints that veterans notoriously have to wait an inordinate amount of time to see providers at VA health centers. The pilot waves the VA Choice program rule that says veterans must wait 30 days or have to drive …
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