Journal of Urgent Care Medicine

Masks Are a Must in Protecting Your Team Against COVID—but Not Just Any Mask Will Do

Though as a country we’re in far better shape in regard to COVID-19 than we’ve been in a very long time, risk of infection remains a serious concern in healthcare practices. While masking has been accepted as an essential component in lowering risk, research just published by JAMA Network Open reveals there’s a marked difference in risk for infection among healthcare workers who wear one type of mask vs another. According to an observational study …

Tinnitus Is a Bigger Concern Than Previously Thought. Should You Be Asking About It Proactively?

Thinking in the abstract about which complaints occur most frequently in your practice, it’s unlikely that tinnitus would come to mind as readily as, say, migraine or pain. New research published by JAMA Network suggests maybe it should, though. After a systemic review of published research around the world, the authors report an overall global prevalence of 14.4%, with the likelihood of experiencing tinnitus increasing with age. They propose that their findings may be surprising …

Healthcare Can Be a Dangerous Work Environment—and Too Often the Threat Is from a Coworker

Irate, distraught, or possibly impaired patients and close relations have been known to lash out at the very people trying to render care in high-stress situations in hospitals and urgent care centers. That’s never ok, obviously, but of even greater concern is how often healthcare workers are subjected to violence or other forms of abuse from their own colleagues. According to a report recently published by Medscape, 44% of physicians say they’ve witnessed other providers …

Will Diversification of Properties Become ‘a Thing’ for Urgent Care Owner Portfolios?

The portrait of an urgent care owner continues to evolve along with the diverse services offered at the clinic level, with private equity and venture capitalist buyers taking to heart the notion that diversity is key when putting together an investment portfolio. The most recent example: The Aspen Group, which recently acquired Physicians Immediate Care in Chicago and owns 180 urgent care centers in the Northeast and Midwest U.S., just bought AZPetVet, an Arizona company …

New Monkeypox Info Could Change Hygiene Practices in Your Urgent Care Center

As cases of monkeypox swelled to more than 14,000 in the United States—including the first case concerning a minor, in New York—the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported evidence that monkeypox virus DNA can survive on surfaces for at least 20 days. State health workers in Utah found virus on 70% of 30 specimens swabbed from cloth furniture, blankets, handles, and switches in a home where patients had been isolating for 20 days. Both …

Polio in NYC Wastewater Should Be a Reminder: ‘Eradicated’ May Not Mean What It Used To

JUCM News told you recently about a confirmed case of polio in Rockland County, New York. Given that it’s a suburban/rural area roughly an hour from New York City, it’s causing some alarm that just days ago the virus was identified in wastewater samples in the Big Apple. According to a story published by The New York Times, only around 86% of children 5 years of age and younger are fully vaccinated against polio; less …

It May Be Tough to Find Good Staff These Days, but Beware Cutting Corners in Your Search

A post currently on the California Radiologic Health Branch (RHB) website—a resource for the state’s licensed radiology techs—should serve as a timely reminder to thoroughly check the backgrounds of prospective new hire. The missive recounts how one individual with an extensive rap sheet that includes convictions for sexual battery, false imprisonment, grand theft, and other felonies was able to use phony documents to gain employment as an RT in clinics, hospitals, and medical offices in …

One Problem with Monkeypox: The Names of the Variants, According to the WHO

Cases of monkeypox continue to grow worldwide, with 32,000 cases reported (11,000 of which have occurred in the United States), according to the World Health Organization. One aspect of the WHO’s response has nothing to do with facilitating vaccination or treatment, though. With a nod to what it calls “current best practices” for naming diseases, the WHO is looking for new names for monkeypox variants that steer clear of associating them with geographic regions. This …

A New Report Poses the Question of Whether Private Equity Money Is Good for Urgent Care

It’s generally perceived that robust investment is a sign of good health for a marketplace. And certainly if you’re an urgent care operator it’s good news when private equity ponies up funding to fuel your growth. A report just published by MedCity News raises the question of whether it as healthy for patients and the overall U.S. healthcare system, however. The concern, according to the article, is that PE could push to reduce costs by …

Another Mass Shooting—This One Shutting Down a Hospital. Your Response Has to Be Immediate

When six people were shot sometime after midnight in Memphis this Tuesday, the impact on the nearest hospital was a bit more complicated than preparing for multiple patients with traumatic injuries. Methodist North Hospital—located just a stone’s throw from the crime scene—was actually shut down for a time in the wake of the violence, with the clinical team dispatched to treat patients with gunshot wounds while other staff had to route incoming patients away from …