Practice Management
Increasingly, paramedics are being employed (literally) to fill gaps in urgent care staffs around the country. The level of real-world experience and knowledge capable paramedics bring to the table make them well suited for a variety of tasks, from training medical assistants (MAs) to providing clinical care. Consider the following: Paramedics have more advanced skills than an MA, but not as much as a registered nurse (hence, they do not command as high a price …
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The Food and Drug Administration says battery-powered medical carts are to blame for a series of fires in facilities across the country, leading the agency to publish a warning letter recommending that all medical offices, including urgent care centers, take preventive measures. While the size of some carts makes their use prohibitive in many urgent care locations, larger centers, such as those that might be affiliated with a healthcare system, that use such systems are …
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South Florida-based MD Now plans to nearly double the growth pace it set in 2016 by opening seven new locations this year. The company has set its course based on both population access and expansion of services. The 25 locations it already has are within 5 miles of 75% of residents in Palm Beach, Broward, and Miami-Dade counties. Its new centers will be located and built with an eye toward offering more occupational health and …
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An expected holiday rush moved Baptist Health Madisonville (Alabama) to implore area residents to try urgent care for medical needs that might not warrant a trip to its emergency room. Kristy Quinn, the hospital’s marketing and public relations director, says high traffic times like the early-winter holidays make it difficult for the hospital to treat low-acuity cases that could be handled safely in the urgent care setting. “If people can evaluate what they are coming …
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The growth of telemedicine in urgent care and other settings is helping feed greater access to nurse practitioners and physician assistants. Relaxed scope of practice laws in both red and blue states, as well as evolving digital health technology that exploits the popularity of smartphones and tablets, make it easier and less expensive for patients to connect online—a model that typically employs NPs and PAs under the supervision of an on-site physician. This is further …
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MultiCare has formally taken over 16 urgent care locations previously owned and operated the The Ensign Group. The deal includes 14 existing Immediate Clinic Seattle centers, all located in the in the Seattle area, plus two more that are under development. Coming on the heels of its sale of Integrity Urgent Care locations in Colorado earlier this year, the MultiCare transaction effectively has Ensign exiting the urgent care arena altogether. MultiCare, on the other hand, …
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A federal judge in Texas granted a temporary restraining order against federal health officials who may seek to enforce rules that ban discrimination by physicians and hospitals against transgender patients. The judge says he based his decisions on the grounds that compelling doctors to support patients who have either completed or are currently transitioning could equate to forcing doctors to violate their own religious beliefs. Kansas, Kentucky, Nebraska, and Wisconsin joined Texas in the suit, …
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Ensuring payers send you every penny you earned can seem like a daunting challenge, especially with new rules—or entire systems—coming out every year. To help you start the new year on the right track, the Urgent Care Association is hosting two webinars on January 11 and 18 to discuss the new Medicare Quality Payment Program. Each one-hour webinar is designed for physicians, physician assistants, nurses/nurse practitioners, coders/billers, and IT staff. The presenter will be Camille …
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An urgent care company in Texas is betting that taking urgent care directly to patients who can’t (or simply don’t want to) come to a center will ultimately help its business. Taking a page from the Marcus Welby, MD playbook, it’s sending doctors out to make house calls in vehicles boldly adorned with its logo, website, and phone number. While there may be some promotional value in having that car on the street, and the …
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New guidelines from The Joint Commission clarify what clinicians are allowed to convey via text messages. Urgent care providers should especially be aware that clinicians are allowed to text each other using a HIPAA-compliant platform as long as they don’t do so to send patient care orders. The new guidance, drawn up in consultation with the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, also stipulates that all healthcare organizations should have policies prohibiting the use of …
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