Journal of Urgent Care Medicine

Already Problematic, There’s More to Omicron Than We Understood

Though COVID-19 case numbers are slowly coming down in some regions of the United States, the Omicron variant still driving hospitalization rates higher from coast to coast. So, it’s a bit daunting to learn that a “new” subvariant of Omicron, dubbed BA.2, has been reported in 40 countries—including the U.S.—as of January 24. According to the World Health Organization, BA.2 comprises four lineages: B.1.1.529, BA.1, BA.2 and BA.3. While mainstream media outlets have quoted various scientists …

That ‘Bring a Note from Your Doctor’ Routine Is Proving to Be Problematic for Many Practices

On the one hand, it makes sense that employers and school systems want to ensure that people who have been out due to COVID-19 are in the clear before they report back for work or classes. On the other hand, the fact that they’re requiring a clearance note from a physician before allowing them back in the door is proving to be a logistical nightmare for many practices. Multiple health systems and county health departments …

Keep Your Billing Practices in Order, or Your Patients (and Your Business) Could Face the Consequences

It took a relatively long time for urgent care centers to get their fair share of COVID-19 testing supplies and vaccines. Once they did, they became an essential contributor to fighting the pandemic. At least one urgent care operator found out the hard way just how easy it is to be thrown back into those dark days—and they’ve only got themselves to blame. The operator, which will remain nameless, found its test kits dwindling and …

More Clues Show Just How ‘Different’ Omicron Is—and They Might Change Your Approach

We found out shortly after its discovery that the Omicron variant of COVID-19 is more transmissible but (for most patients) less severe than others. As research continues, however, even more disparities are becoming known—and a couple of the latest could affect how you approach to both testing and office hygiene. An article just published online by Reuters quotes multiple studies in the U.S. and abroad revealing the optimal method of testing for Omicron and how …

Already-Underserved Rural Areas Are Getting Pummeled by COVID-19. Can Urgent Care Step In?

Rural areas of the United States have generally been underserved when it comes to healthcare for a long time. Many patients have to travel for hours to get reasonable access to much-needed care. That inconvenience has been exacerbated—badly—by the latest surge of the COVID-19 pandemic, however, according to an article newly published by The Wall Street Journal. The story notes situations in which patients are turned away or told to “come back in a couple …

The Pandemic Rebound Is Real—Though the Extent Varies by Payer

We don’t need to tell you how badly patient volumes suffered for a good stretch of the pandemic. Patients stayed away not just from urgent care centers, but all ambulatory care settings. The advent of vaccines and wider availability of testing supplies started to right the ship, but concerns have remained that “normal” visits—those for complaints unrelated to COVID-19—might take a while to return to pre-pandemic levels. An article just published by the Journal of …

Let Parents Know: Risk for MIS-C in Adolescents May Diminish with Vaccination

One of the few serious threats to otherwise healthy children with COVID-19 is the risk for potentially deadly multisystem inflammatory syndrome (MIS-C). While the numbers pale in comparison to the overall death toll from SARS-CoV-2, thousands of children have been hospitalized due to MIS-C, with scores dying in the United States alone. The hope that vaccination might offer some degree of protection is now coming to fruition, at least in adolescents. According to a Research …

Tattoo Who? How One Urgent Care Center Is Helping Community Members Get a Fresh Start

The term youthful indiscretion is sometimes used to give a pass on poor choices many of us make as we grow into responsible adults. Some of those choices are easier to move on from than others, however. Take tattoos, for example. Whether it’s the name of that first “forever” love that the new girlfriend doesn’t like looking at or something more consequential—like gang- or drug-related symbols and images—decisions that seemed sound at the time can …

Be Vigilant: One Common Childhood Malady Could Actually Be COVID-19

Parents are familiar with the sound—a barking cough emanating from their young child that they’re probably inclined to dismiss as “just croup.” Maybe they’ll call to see how soon the pediatrician can fit them in or even wait a day or two to see if it subsides. Now, though, there’s evidence that a croup-like cough could actually be a sign of COVID-19 infection in children under 5 years of age, according to an article just …

Update: The COVID-19 Vaccine Mandate for Many Businesses Is Off—Again

Just when you thought you had clarity on the Occupational Safety and Health Administration’s mandate to vaccinate workers at businesses that employ 100 or more people against COVID-19, the U.S. Supreme Court has ruled that the measure is invalid except for medical facilities that accept payments from Medicare or Medicaid. The decision came down 3 days after the mandate took effect. The mandate had required employees at affected businesses to either get vaccinated or submit …