Journal of Urgent Care Medicine

New Data Exchange Models Serve Urgent Care’s and Payers’ Interests

Patient population data rooted in urgent care visits could be invaluable to healthcare systems, especially with patients who don’t have a primary care physician. And, of course, urgent care operators want to be included in local provider networks. Current and emerging technologies, as well as growing emphasis on value-based care, make this the perfect time to strike formal partnerships to exchange electronic patient data, providing a path for both parties toward their goals. It’s incumbent …

‘Micro-Hospitals’—Some with Urgent Care Centers—Are on the Rise

St Vincent Health in Indiana is the latest system to join a growing trend in the U.S.: opening small “footprint” hospitals—multispecialty facilities with an emergency room or an urgent care center to lower volume and offer easier access in conjunction with their main campuses. In St Vincent’s case, that amounts to four new 24-hour emergency micro-hospitals and three ambulatory care centers in the Indianapolis area. Each will have seven outpatient beds and eight in-patient beds. …

Acetaminophen Overdose Antidote Recalled

Urgent care clinics that stock the acetaminophen overdose antidote acetylcysteine should check their inventory for three specific lots of the drug distributed by Arbor Pharmaceuticals under the trade name Cetylev. Arbor has recalled lot numbers 005C16, 006C16, and 007C16, with expiration date 02/2018 and with National Drug Code (NDC) 24338-700-10 of the 500 mg effervescent tablets for oral solution because of an inadequate seal of the blister pack. The Food and Drug Administration says the …

Urgent Care Enters the Zika Fray in South Florida

Baptist Health South Florida is encouraging patients who are concerned they may have been exposed to Zika virus, but who do not have symptoms, to visit the system’s urgent care centers in order to prevent clutter in its emergency rooms. That news comes on the heels of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention adding another location for pregnant women to avoid in Florida, along with suggestions that they and their sexual partners consider postponing …

Freestanding ERs Criticized for Billing—and Cherry-Picking Wealthy Patients

The rapid growth of freestanding emergency rooms—as well as consumer outrage over controversial billing practices—continues to draw the attention of researchers and legislators around the country. Most typically found in affluent neighborhoods, some freestanding emergency centers can be hard to distinguish from lower cost urgent care centers, setting expectations for some patients that they’ll receive an urgent care-size bill. When the cost more closely resembles the cost of a trip to the ED, patients cry …

Follow the Data to Safe, Appropriate Urgent Care

Anecdotal evidence that urgent care is a safe, lower-cost alternative to the emergency room and a more convenient setting than the primary care office is abundant. What about properly designed research that provides hard data, though? The Urgent Care Association of America has made great strides toward validating industry standards with its annual, voluntary benchmarking survey, but otherwise the industry has lagged in researching itself. Now Intermountain Healthcare has taken a step toward filling the …

A ‘Banner’ Year for 32 Arizona Urgent Care Centers

Banner Health has acquired 32 urgent care centers in Arizona from Urgent Care Extra. The centers will be rebranded as Banner Urgent Care October 1. Banner says it expects to have 50 urgent care centers in Arizona by the end of 2017. More than 400 Urgent Care Extra employees will join the 40,000 Banner employees in Arizona. The system is the largest private employer in Arizona. Banner also operates hospitals in seven western states.

AFC: Fastest Growing Health Company in the U.S., Per Inc. 5000

For the second year in a row (and third time in 4 years), American Family Care (AFC) has earned a place on the Inc. 5000 list, which ranks the fastest-growing private companies in the U.S. The company was #1,298 on the list year, but rose to 1,010 this year. AFC also ranked as the fastest growing health-related company in the U.S., based on revenue growth of >300% for the second straight year. AFC was an …

Concussion Rates Are Rising—and Adolescents Are Leading the Way

Adolescents—and parents and other adults who supervise their athletic endeavors and physical activities—should be getting more education about the signs, symptoms, diagnosis, and treatment of concussions, according to a new study published in the Orthopaedic Journal of Sports Medicine. Researchers evaluated the health records of 8.8 million Humana members, 43,884 of whom were diagnosed with a concussion. The highest incidence was in the 15-19 age group, followed by 10- to 14-year-olds. More than half (56%) …

NERUCA Conference Brings National Urgent Care Expertise to the Northeast

The North East Regional Urgent Care Association launched its annual conference last fall, with the goal of creating an exceptional urgent care learning and network opportunity. This year the two-day meeting will be held October 24-25 at the Crystal Springs Resort, a four-season mountain destination located in Sussex County, NJ, an hour from New York City. The conference will feature three valuable education tracks for leadership, nurses and MAs, and providers. (This activity has been …