Journal of Urgent Care Medicine

Pandemic Woes Haven’t Dampened the Outlook for Urgent Care Growth

Urgent care as an industry was on a steady growth path before February 2019. It wouldn’t be surprising to learn that subsequent low patient volumes and getting shut out of early distribution of COVID-19 testing supplies and vaccinations, respectively, put a damper on expectations for further progress—but that’s not the case. In fact, urgent care operators’ collective resilience and creativity in adapting to changing conditions (such as setting up testing or vaccination events in parking …

Update: COVID-19 Vaccination Does More Than Minimize Risk for Infection and Severe Illness

Patients who opt to receive the full complement of COVID-19 vaccine not only lower their risk for infection or serious illness if they do wind up getting sick, but also receive extra protection against long COVID, according to the results of a study released by the U.K. Health Security Agency. The report drew data from 15 studies in the United Kingdom and around the world. Seven of those studies looked at whether vaccination against COVID-19 …

Skip the Chatter and Focus on the Research When It Comes to Ivermectin

From Facebook rants to podcasts hosts to outlier physicians, there is a vocal minority of Americans who believe that ivermectin is a viable and underutilized therapy for patients with COVID-19. As is most often the case, that does not necessarily reflect the best evidence-based practice. JAMA Internal Medicine just published an article that could be helpful in separating fact from misinformation and disinformation. The study on which the article was based randomized subjects to receive …

Lower Temperatures Mean Higher Incidence of Slip-and-Fall Injuries. Are Your Prepared?

With the mainstream (and medical) media focus on the COVID-19 pandemic, it can be easy to overlook the fact that everyday illness and injuries still occur. With most of the country experiencing winter temperatures, for example, that may be especially true of cold weather-related complaints right now. As noted in a report aired on KSDK TV in Missouri, urgent care will likely be the right setting for many such patients. That story featured quotes from …

Be Alert for Patients at Risk for Ischemic Stroke; COVID Infection Could Put Them Over the Top

Respiratory sequelae may not be the only (or even the most dangerous) consequence of COVID-19 infection in patients with hypertension, atrial fibrillation, or any condition that puts them at elevated risk for ischemic stroke. According to data presented at the International Stroke Conference in New Orleans, as reported by Medscape, that risk is “significantly elevated” in the 3 days immediately following infection. The data were drawn from assessment of the cases of more than 19,000 …

Want Patients to Know When and Where to Find You? Make Sure You’re Up to Date on Your Web Presence

A patient Googles “urgent care near me” and sees your location among the top three results. Even better, they see that your center is on their way home and open until 8. And yet, when they get to your place at 7:25 they find the posted hours say you closed at 7. Here’s the problem in this hypothetical—but very real life—scenario: Even if your website is up to date web crawlers can still “find” and …

Go About It the Wrong Way and COVID Testing Could Cost You in a Number of Ways

Offering COVID-19 testing services could engender good will and bring new patients to your practice—or it could lead to disappointment, lost opportunity, or even legal scrutiny. In New York, the attorney general has warned various entities who advertise a specific turnaround time on COVID-19 tests that they’d better make good on their promises or face stiff consequences. In the Midwest, federal health officials as well as investigators from several states are investigating the practices of …

CDC: Waning Immunity After a COVID-19 Booster Is Only a Matter of Months

Patients who receive a COVID-19 booster shot after having completed the first one- or two-dose regimen of the vaccine have roughly 4 months before protection from that shot starts to wane, according to the latest information from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The latest COVID-19 information from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. An Early Release article published by Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report notes specifically that “Vaccine effectiveness (VE) against COVID-19–associated …

The Omicron Paradox: Milder but at the Same Time More Deadly?

Both anecdotal and research-based evidence has indicated that the Omicron variant of COVID-19, while more transmissible, is less likely to lead to hospitalization and death. As time goes on and real-world data accumulate, though, it appears the picture is more complicated. An article published in The Washington Post notes that the number of daily deaths has risen to a level higher than it was last spring when the Delta variant dominated. The hardest-hit populations have …

UCA Members: Want to Treat COVID-19 Patients with Antivirals? Now Is the Time to Prepare

Access to antiviral therapy is expected to broaden for patients with COVID-19 in the near future. Urgent care centers are well positioned to offer key advantages for patients compared with other settings—most significantly, considering that the timing of oral therapeutic initiation is essential to reducing viral load, 7-day walk-in access. To help ensure urgent care providers are well armed with the most up-to-date information, the Urgent Care Association and the College of Urgent Care Medicine …