Journal of Urgent Care Medicine

COVID Vaccination Provides Cardiovascular Protection

Vaccination may protect people from serious cardiovascular disease associated with COVID-19. As published in the European Heart Journal, researchers in Sweden studied risk windows in the time immediately after each of 3 doses of the COVID vaccine and assessed several outcomes. The risk of cardiovascular events for patients vaccinated with 3 doses was generally 20–30% lower than for those with no vaccinations. Additionally, stroke risk was lower after vaccination than without, while the risk of …

Pertussis Surge Puts Public Health on Alert

Cases of whooping cough have surged in 2024, with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reporting at least 15,661 cases in the United States through September 21, marking a return to pre-pandemic levels. Preliminary data shows that about 5 times as many cases have been reported compared to last year, according to CDC. Pennsylvania recorded the highest number of cases at 2,087, followed by New York with 1,781. Public health experts are concerned …

Veto Stops Bill to Review Healthcare Dealmaking in California

California Gov. Gavin Newsom has vetoed a bill that was designed to require state approval for healthcare merger and acquisition deals involving private investors. The scrutiny was meant to increase oversight of private equity and hedge fund ownership transactions that have the potential to lead to consolidations and closures of healthcare provider operations. However, it’s important to note the reason behind the veto. Newsom reasoned that California has an existing Office of Health Care Affordability …

COVID-19 Boosters Reduce Symptoms For Health Workers

Healthcare workers receiving a COVID-19 booster vaccine had a 45% lower risk of having symptoms 6 weeks after infection, as published in Open Forum Infectious Diseases. From December 2021 to April 2022 (during the omicron period), workers who had COVID-19 and had also received a 3rd COVID-19 vaccine dose had a lower prevalence of any symptoms compared to those who did not have a 3rd dose when measured at 6 weeks post-infection (adjusted odds ratio …

Cyberattacks Are One Thing, Exposed Records Are Another

Healthcare data statistics tracked by HIPAA Journal demonstrate a steady rise in breaches in the 14 years since the Department of Health and Human Services’ Office for Civil Rights (OCR) began publishing records. As of September 24, 2024, more than 490 breaches have been reported for the year. Reportable breaches, which only include incidents involving 500 or more health records, have been tracked by OCR since 2009, when just 18 breaches were recorded. From 2009 …

No Obvious Source Found for Avian Influenza Case in Missouri

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) is actively looking at multiple indicators to monitor for avian influenza A(H5N1) viruses, including looking for spread of the virus to or among humans. It’s especially concerning since Missouri reported its first human case of H5N1 avian influenza in a patient who had significant underlying medical conditions but reported no exposure to animals—the typical source of such virus cases. The Missouri patient is the 14th human case …

More Markets Will Feature 24-Hour Urgent Care Clinics

UMC Health System opened a new 24-hour urgent care (UC) in Lubbock, Texas, this month, and it’s a strong indicator of where growth trends may lead in 2025. While the UC market in general has gravitated to an 8AM to 8PM schedule, more extended-hours sites are emerging. Staffing remains the biggest challenge in this case, according to Alan A. Ayers, MBA, MAcc, President of Urgent Care Consultants and Senior Editor of The Journal of Urgent …

Severe Obesity Rises By 2% Despite Overall Downward Trend

The prevalence of severe obesity among Americans, particularly among women, has risen over the past decade, as reported by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). According to a 2021-2023 survey involving 6,000 individuals, about 40% of U.S. adults are obese. Of those surveyed, nearly 10% had severe obesity, defined by a body mass index (BMI) of 40 or more. The rate of severe obesity increased from approximately 8% in the 2013-2014 survey to …

Noninvasive Tragus Stimulation May Improve Hypertension

A study in the Journal of the American Heart Association found that young individuals with hypertension may benefit from low-level tragus stimulation (LL‐TS). The device-based therapy is a noninvasive method of tragus stimulation with an ear clip, targeting the auricular branch of the vagus nerve. In the small study of 40 patients aged 18 to 39 years, LL‐TS was applied on the intervention group (IG) for 3 months on the tragus (20 Hz, 1 mA, 1 hour per day). …