Journal of Urgent Care Medicine

An ‘Incidental’ Finding May Be Far More Threatening Than the Presenting Complaint

Patients are unlikely to seek ongoing care for high blood pressure at their closest urgent care center. That doesn’t mean it won’t be first identified there, though. And depending on the patient’s age and life expectancy, your ability to flag which patient’s hypertension needs attention and who wouldn’t benefit from treatment could mean a significant difference in the outcome. According to an article just published by JAMA Internal Medicine, intensive treatment for hypertension “may be …

Hospital Margins Are Sputtering While Urgent Care’s Recovery Continues

Many, if not most, healthcare operations have suffered along with other types of business since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic. While the general public might assume hospitals are an exception, it’s becoming increasingly clear that healthcare systems in general are struggling as much as (if not more than) others. And even though we all know how hard urgent care has been hit over the past few years, a new report published by Healthcare Finance …

Physician Assistants Are an Essential Part of Your Team—So You’d Better Understand Their Priorities

Physician assistants and nurse practitioners (collectively referred to as advanced practice clinicians, or APCs) are becoming more and more essential to the efficient operation of an urgent care center. And with the likelihood of a physician shortage growing with each passing year, you can expect that to be the case for the foreseeable future. As such, you will want to hang on to the cream of the crop. Do you even know what your superstar …

Antibiotics Are No Help with Viruses. So Why Did Nearly a Third of COVID Visits End with a Prescription?

Recognizing that SARS-CoV-2 is a virus, there’s no way well-informed physicians would write prescriptions for antibiotics to help patients fight COVID-19—right? Wrong. According to a Research Letter published by JAMA Network, between April 2020 and April 2021, nearly 30% of COVID-19 outpatient visits in a Medicare population resulted in a prescription for an antibiotic agent. Prescriptions were highest in the emergency room (33.9%) followed by telehealth (28.4%), urgent care (25.8%), and traditional office practices (23.9%). …

Failing to Follow Proper Protocols Could Bring Headaches—and Affect Patient Outcomes

Failing to Follow Consultation Protocols Could Bring Headaches—and Affect Patient Outcomes An urgent care provider in Chillicothe, OH has been flagged by the Department of Veterans Affairs Office of the Inspector General allegedly for failing to follow the prescribed consultation process. Per a post by EHR Intelligence, the OIG claims that the provider intended for a patient with a T12 vertebrae compression fracture to receive chiropractic care at the Complementary and Alternative Medicine (CAM) clinic. …

New Data Continue to Debunk COVID Vaccine Mis- and Disinformation

One of the more persistent baseless “warnings” about vaccination against the COVID-19 virus has been that getting the shot increases risk for (or even causes) myocarditis and other cardiological issues. JUCM Readers know that while early studies tended to contradict each other, ultimately the myocarditis myth has been busted. Now a new paper published by Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report reveals that patients are more likely to develop cardiac complications in general after SARS-CoV-2 than …

Pediatric Elbow Fractures: A Clinical Review

Urgent message: Though the most common fracture seen in pediatric trauma patients, elbow fractures can be difficult to identify in younger patients. Familiarity with elbow anatomy, ossification centers, and fracture patterns is essential for optimal outcomes. Amy Grover, MD CASE VIGNETTE A 7-year-old previously healthy female presents to urgent care with a chief complaint of left elbow pain after a fall on outstretched arm. She had immediate pain, swelling and difficulty moving her arm. Her …

Patients May Be Nervous, but the Monkeypox Hype Is Overblown (at Least for Now)

As the world continues cautious steps toward normalcy and recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic, a new virus is capturing its attention. In this country, national newspapers and television news programs have breathlessly relayed mounting cases of monkeypox, likely eliciting concerns that may be out of proportion to actual danger among patients—at least for now. What’s known is that new cases have been reported in 16 countries, including the United States. In response, the Centers for …

Spring Sees More Growth in the Urgent Care Marketplace

Hot on the heels of news that Piedmont Urgent Care by Wellstreet is acquiring SmartCare Medical Group comes another development reflecting the ongoing robust growth in the urgent care industry: Next Level Urgent Care says it’s going to open 20 new locations throughout the remainder of 2022, including its first outside of Houston. That will nearly double its current location count (24). Just as significant in terms of urgent care’s standing as a distinct practice …

‘Epidemic’ Diabetes Has Forced Changes in Screening Guidelines. What Is Urgent Care Doing?

As noted in an article just published by JAMA Network, unchecked spread has put prediabetes and diabetes at “epidemic levels” in the United States. With the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force having lowered the age at which it’s advisable to start screening patients to 35, this begs the question as to whether it’s time for urgent care centers to become more proactive in assessing patients for diabetes. While too-high blood sugar is often an incidental …