Practice Management
As you probably recall, there was a marked difference in rates of respiratory syncytial virus at a certain point during the COVID-19 pandemic. In fact, data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reveal that there was essentially no RSV “season” in 2020–21, presumably due to school closures, masking, and social distancing practices. Before the pandemic, RSV cases started to climb in October, peaked in December, and essentially disappeared by April. Now, the Journal …
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Medical and mainstream media are again full of articles reporting on the urgent—and steadily growing—challenge of ensuring people experiencing a mental health crisis get care when they need it. Most recently, the Journal of the American Medical Association published research revealing that children and young adults, in particular, present to emergency room with mental health complaints in greater numbers than ever, including a steep increase in visits related to suicide. The article notes that while …
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It’s unlikely that an urgent care operation could build a robust marketing presence without savvy use of social media. From basic Facebook pages to more sophisticated use of Twitter, Instagram, YouTube, and other platforms, the only real limits are in the user’s field of vision. The same source of potentially rich rewards is also a minefield where one misstep can ruin the center’s reputation, however. The same goes for individuals within the operation, of course. …
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Lyme disease and Rocky Mountain spotted fever may get the lion’s share of the headlines, but in reality there are any number of tick-borne illnesses that can accompany tick bites and burrowing. That’s part of the message a ProMedica Urgent Care for Kids nurse practitioner wanted to impart when she participated in an article published by The Blade in Toledo, OH recently. While it may not surprise you, her explanation that the type of illness …
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It’s only been a couple of months since some cities, such as New York, declared the monkeypox outbreak that started in 2022 “over,” but Chicago health officials have issued a warning that from April 17 to just this week seven new cases have been reported there. While they’ve classified the severity of the alert as “low,” they note that only one case had been reported from February 1 through April 16. So, in addition to …
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Members of the Liberty School District’s elementary school community don’t have to go far for care when illness or injury strikes in the middle of the school day; in fact, they don’t even have to leave the grounds. WFMJ in Youngstown, OH reports that as of a few weeks ago, the “Leopard MedClinic”—named for the school mascot but operated by QUICKmed Urgent care—is open and ready to see students with urgent care needs. The intent …
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It’s been the contention of the urgent care industry for a long time that patients who do not have truly emergent complaints should not be in the emergency room, where they’re likely to face long waits and incur greater costs than they need to. For those patients, urgent care centers are the more sensible option. Data showing a link between the available of urgent care and reduced ED traffic were slow in coming, but over …
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As you likely know, a gunman opened fire at Northside Family Medicine and Urgent Care in Atlanta this week. One person was killed and several others injured; reportedly, none were workers in the urgent care center. A suspect was arrested after an hours-long manhunt. Multiple media sources suggested that the accused was seeking care in the facility. The New York Timesquoted the alleged perpetrator’s sister as saying her brother is “not mentally stable,” while his …
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Regardless of one’s personal perspective on the move by some states to restrict access to abortions, there is a very real concern that such legislation could ultimately worsen provider shortages. As reported by MedPage Today, new data from the Association of American Medical Colleges show that already-declining numbers of medical-school graduates applying for positions are falling faster in states that have enacted legislation restricting abortions. The dip is especially precipitous in obstetrics and gynecology, as …
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Provider burnout is probably most associated with having too many clinical responsibilities competing for your attention, combined with the ever-present threat of oversights and errors that could harm a patient and ultimately decimate your practice. And while that’s all a significant part of the mix, the COVID-19 pandemic raised the specter that burnout can result from being underactive, as well, according to an article from the American Medical Association. That observation came from Shawn C. …
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