Journal of Urgent Care Medicine

Ready or Not, the Impending Physician Shortage May Make Greater Use of APPs Inevitable

In recognition of the likelihood that primary care physicians will be in increasingly short supply over years to come, a primary care chain in Minnesota has taken the extraordinary step of staffing its six locations exclusively with nurse practitioners. As reported in Becker’s Hospital Review, The Good Clinic may even be taking a page from the urgent care playbook by promising to see patients sooner than a traditional primary care practice can these days—though their …

With COVID-19 Waning, Urgent Care Telehealth May Be at a Crossroad

Historically, telehealth has had a difficult time getting a foothold in urgent care. Some operators have found ways to make it work to their advantage, while many have found it not profitable enough to be a viable component of their business. The COVID-19 pandemic changed that for many as in-person visits tailed off dramatically for a time. Now that COVID is not perceived as a threat on the same level it was, some are questioning …

Hurricane Ian Reminds Us: You Can’t Afford Not to Have a Disaster Plan

With Hurricane Ian battering Florida and promising to wreak more havoc as it moves north and west for days to come, urgent care centers and other healthcare services are struggling to stay open. Ascension St. Vincent’s urgent care, primary care, and specialty clinics will be closed through at least Friday. Tampa General Hospital has closed some ambulatory care locations while canceling elective surgeries for a few days. Others are sure to follow suit as the …

The CDC Says You Can Drop Masking Rules for Your Workers. The Question Is, Should You?

In a sign that President Biden’s offhand remark that “the pandemic is over” may be closer to the truth than first thought, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention announced that it’s dropping its universal masking guideline for healthcare workers. The move came after weeks of diminishing hospitalizations for COVID-19. The one caveat is that healthcare facilities should make their own determinations on masking based on conditions in their communities or proximity to immunocompromised patients. …

HCA Isn’t Done Shopping for Urgent Care Centers

It wasn’t that long ago that we told you HCA Healthcare was buying BetterMed, adding 12 locations in central Virginia to the fold. Now HCA has announced an even bigger purchase: MD Now Urgent Care and its 59 centers in Florida, giving it 170 locations in 19 markets. The deal is yet another example of the value that companies with substantial hospital holdings see in acquiring urgent care properties. For more insights on that phenomenon …

Be Prepared: As Legal Access to Marijuana Grows, so Do Related Patient Visits

As the business of selling marijuana has grown from your neighborhood dealer to medical dispensaries and stores licensed to sell weed for recreational uses, emergency rooms have started seeing an increase in patients presenting with cannabis hyperemesis syndrome (CHS). Symptoms include dehydration, abdominal pain, nausea, and vomiting. An article just published by JAMA Network reveals a connection between the commercialization of the marijuana industry and a 13-fold increase in CHS-related visits to the emergency room …

Patient Records Have Been Taken Hostage at a Texas Hospital. Ensure Your System Is Secure

OakBend Medical Center in Richmond, TX is scrambling to deal with a ransomware attack by a group calling itself Daixin Team. As reported by the online tech news publication The Register, the attack initially shut down the hospital’s communication and IT systems and “stole” more than 1 million patient records. It’s unclear what the group’s demands or intentions are, though they’ve threatened to release a “full leak” of the data. The threat of cyber crime …

As the COVID-19 Pandemic Continues to Fade, Are We About to Face Another?

JUCM and JUCM News readers are well aware that the United States has seen a steady increase in the occurrence of sexually transmitted disease for years now. Unfortunately, it appears that the trend will continue for the foreseeable future, leading at least one physician to express concern that we’re in the midst of “pandemic venereal disease.” This is backed up by fresh data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention showing increases in gonorrhea, …

The Ongoing Bleak Outlook for Rural Hospitals Could Hold Promise for Urgent Care

An already-dire situation for the rural hospital market is getting tougher by the month as costs across the board to continue rise. As noted in an article published by Healthcare Dive, labor, medications, and everyday supplies keep going up while patient volume and reimbursements are stagnant or even falling in some areas. It’s gotten so bad that the American Hospital Association is expressing concern that access to care could become a major challenge—which could point …

Free Webinar: Prepare for More ‘Typical’ Urgent Care Presentations—Including Lacerations

COVID-19 has taken up a disproportionate amount of time in the context of what we consider “typical” urgent care presentation. Now that we’re moving steadily (if slowly) to what used to be normal, you can expect patients to present more often with concerns for minor illness and injuries from sprains to lacerations. The latter, in particular, requires a certain level of skill and familiarity to optimize the chance for positive outcomes. JUCM will host a …