Practice

In the information age, images of the kindly, benevolent physician may conjure up quaint memories of Marcus Welby, but an article just published in The New York Times suggests that the simple act of being nice to patients can improve the prospects for positive outcomes. Authored by a pair of social psychologists from Stanford University, the piece maintains that a warm, reassuring approach to patient interactions, especially when discussing their health, can actually help symptoms …

The federal government shutdown could cause both minor inconveniences and major problems for urgent care operations, depending on how long it drags on. It’s unclear how well the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services will be running if workers are off the job for a while, for example. And urgent care operators who provide occupational medicine services to government customers could see diminished business. Some urgent care centers might also end up benefiting from the …

The acquisition of ZoomCare by PeaceHealth brings what was predicted to be a retail-style phenomenon under the umbrella of a relatively traditional hospital system. The irony is that ZoomCare was in need of cash despite offering a practice model designed to appeal to millennial patients (the largest segment of the U.S. population today), but is still an appealing property to a regional hospital powerhouse. One of the key values is presumed to be access and …

The deleterious effects of sleep deprivation have been demonstrated in innumerable clinical studies. As such, its effects on clinicians charged with treating patients is beyond question. What is in question, however, is whether the effects of inadequate rest are matched (or even surpassed) by the effects of sleep aids on healthcare providers—including urgent care physicians, nurse practitioners, and physician assistants. Research published in the Annals of Emergency Medicine suggests it’s a question that needs answering—and …

It’s a nearly constant battle: Patients insist on a prescription for an antibiotic even though it’s not indicated, putting prescribers in the unenviable position of either complying with an unreasonable and possibly dangerous demand or doing the right thing and incurring the unsatisfied patient’s wrath (possibly including poor ratings and complaints online). A new post on PatientEngagementHIT suggests that focusing on better communication between provider and patient could go a long way toward resolving such …

Constant distractions, overindulging in alcohol, the potential for slick driving conditions, and other seasonal risks add up to greater likelihood of injury and illness at this time of year—making for an estimated increase of 10% to 15% in trips to urgent care centers and emergency rooms, according to the Consumer Product Safety Commission. Holiday decorating alone accounts for roughly 15,000 trips to the ED. Further, many people spend the holidays far from home—and far away …

There are usually signs when a valued employee is thinking of jumping ship—but that’s not much help if you don’t know to look for the signs. A new post on Advisory Board recommends running through a “red flag checklist” to see if you’re in danger of losing your MVP. Such a checklist would include looking for sudden changes in performance, attendance, the level of interest an employee has in their role, a change in the …

Providers have very little time with patients (many of whom they’ve never met before, in the case of urgent care), so it can be easy to disregard the importance of the human touch in the service of “efficiency.” Doing so could be a mistake both clinically and in terms of patient satisfaction, however. A recent article in The New York Times recounts the experience of a woman who was comforted throughout a breast cancer scare …

Ride-sharing pioneer Uber is putting more resources into serving as a healthcare transport provider, recognizing that traditional taxi companies tend to put little effort into picking up patients who they fear could be high maintenance and low tippers. According to a new post on the website Advisory Board, Uber just hired a pair of experts to help them beef up their efforts in this area—one a healthcare consultant and the other a veteran of competitor …

Advances in telehealth have often been presumed to provide greater access to healthcare for patients in rural communities that may be underserved by healthcare providers. However, a new report from the U.S. Department of Agriculture indicates that virtual healthcare visits are actually more popular with residents of urban areas. USDA researchers looked at data from 50,000 households that were home to more than 130,000 individuals who participated in the U.S. Census Bureau’s 2015 Current Population …