Journal of Urgent Care Medicine

Dunkin’, Popeyes, and Urgent Care May Be Strange Bedfellows, but at Least One Franchiser Doesn’t Mind

A Florida franchise brands company that up to now has made its mark by buying reliable food franchises like Dunkin’, Baskin-Robbins, and Popeyes Louisiana Kitchen just stepped way outside the box by taking on six existing American Family Care clinics in the Tampa area. According to an article published by the Business Observer, Purple Square Management also plans to open 18 more locations in the region over the next 5 years. Purple Square’s other holdings …

When Seasonal Crises Occur, Make Sure the Community Knows You’re There to Help

Texans know it’s going to be hot once June rolls around. What they don’t expect is for longstanding records for high temperatures to be broken multiple days running across the state. They’re not alone, though; according to the National Weather Service, New Mexico, Oklahoma, Arkansas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama, and Florida are all experiencing higher-than-normal temperatures for this time of year. With any extreme weather conditions, of course, comes an increase in related health crises—in this …

Like General Urgent Care, Pediatric UC Is Now Drawing Major Capital Investment

As JUCM and JUCM News readers know, urgent care has become the darling of venture capitalists’ collective eye in recent years (see Why Private Equity and Other ‘Smart Money’ Is Bullish on Brick-and-Mortar Urgent Care in the JUCM archive). It shouldn’t be surprising, then, that more niche segments of the industry are also gaining attention from eager healthcare investors. PM Pediatric Care just announced that it secured $50 million from Jefferson River Capital as part …

False Claims Charges Can Have Heavy Financial Consequences Whether You’re Guilty or Not

Urgent care operators as a whole put considerable attention on ensuring that their coding and claims procedures are pristine. It’s not just a matter of economic survival through ensuring the practice gets the reimbursements they deserve, but also an existential imperative; practices that fail to demonstrate due diligence in seeking that reimbursement face potentially catastrophic financial consequence. Even the appearance of noncompliance with proper procedures can raise red flags and sink a perfectly healthy operation. …

Access to X-Rays in Urgent Care Is in Jeopardy. What Can You Do?

X-ray services are a key factor that distinguishes urgent care centers from other walk-in healthcare facilities. So, especially in the midst of a shortage of x-ray technologists (RTs) in general, anything that threatens UC’s ability to offer imaging services could without exaggeration be viewed as a threat to the industry’s place in the healthcare system. The most current controversy is going on in Ohio, where the RT lobby is opposing a change in legislation that …

Evidence Mounts That Urgent Care May Have a Place in the Ongoing Mental Health Crisis

Like x-ray technologists, physicians, and advanced-practice providers, mental health professionals are harder to find all the time—leaving the country mired in a mental health crisis. Patients have to wait weeks or longer to get help when they’re at their most vulnerable. As JUCM News readers know, urgent care has been mentioned frequently as a possible venue to help defuse the situation, though exactly how that could work on a widespread basis has yet to be …

‘Choosing Wisely’ Works to Reduce Inappropriate Antibiotic Prescribing

Depending on which data you put the most stick in, anywhere from one quarter to half of all prescriptions for antibiotics are inappropriate. The Urgent Care Association, health systems, individual practices, and various medical societies have all launched initiative to help curb that bad habit and reduce risk for associated deaths from drug-resistant infections. As reported by UCLA Health, one such initiative, Choosing Wisely—launched by the American Board of Internal Medicine more than 10 years …

Another Twist in the Ongoing Saga of Sports-Related Concussion ‘Best Practices’

Recommended management of concussion in athletes of any level seem to change as frequently as sports seasons do. Here’s the latest: According to a statement published by the British Journal of Sports Medicine, while there is no benefit to absolute rest for concussed patients, reduction in physical activity for the first 2 days after the injury is advisable. After that, however, there’s no benefit to that, either. In fact, according to the authors, the latest …

As the Season Turns, so Does the Look of Your Patients’ Complaints. Are You Prepared?

School’s out (or about to be), the days are long, and workers are counting the days until their summer vacation. It’s all fun and games until someone has to go to urgent care. At that point, you and your team need to be prepared for a different slate of illness and injury than you’ve been seeing since last fall began. Slip-and-fall injuries and flu will largely be replaced with bites, rashes, the ill effects of …

A ‘Wonder Drug’ Comes Under Scrutiny from Payers

On paper, Ozempic (semaglutide) is indicated to help improve glycemic control in adults with type 2 diabetes and reduce risk of cardiovascular events in patients with type 2 diabetes and established cardiovascular disease. Its acclaim in the media and popular culture, however, is much more focused on its corresponding weight loss benefits. Consequently, off-label prescriptions have soared—to the extent that payers are now scrutinizing prescriptions written for patients who are not diabetic. As noted in …