Journal of Urgent Care Medicine

Practice Management

 

Urgent Care News

Fasting Lab Test Study

Fasting Before Lab Testing Should Be More Nuanced: Study

Fasting longer than 12 hours before a lab test generally does not provide an advantage …
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Latest Cancer Report

Cancer Incidence Inches Up, But Survival Is Improving

The latest annual report on cancer from a collaboration of cancer organizations shows a mixed …
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GLP-1 Drugs For Obesity in Kids

More Kids Are Using GLP-1 Drugs For Obesity

Use of glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1) receptor agonists among U.S. children with obesity is increasing rapidly …
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Prisma Acquires 36 Urgent Cares

Prisma Acquires 36 Novant Health Urgent Cares

Prisma Health has announced plans to acquire 36 urgent care rooftops in South Carolina from …
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Change for Physician Burnout

Change of Scenery: Physicians Find Variety of Helpful Fixes For Burnout 

A national study of physicians presented in JAMA Network Open found actions, such as changing …
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Original Research 

Pediatric Vaccine Hesitancy in Urgent Care

Pediatric Vaccine Hesitancy in Families Seeking Care in Urgent Care Centers

Urgent Message: Despite national recommendations regarding childhood vaccination, some parents are hesitant or refuse to …
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POCUS on Knee of Child in Urgent Care, Urgent Care POCUS and ED Transfers

The Impact of an Urgent Care Point-of-Care Ultrasound Program on Patient Transfers to the Emergency Department

Urgent Message: Training urgent care providers to use point-of-care ultrasound resulted in fewer patient transfers …
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Tympanometry as a Diagnostic Tool in Urgent Care

Application of an Algorithmic Prediction Model to Determine the Utility and Financial Viability of Tympanometry as a Diagnostic Tool in Urgent Care

Urgent Message: The prediction model developed for this study suggests that tympanometry may have value …
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Computer Use in Urgent Care Room

The Effect of Computer Use in the Exam Room on Patient Satisfaction in Urgent Care

Urgent Message: The use of a computer in the urgent care examination room does not …
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Demographic and Clinical Predictors of Rib Fracture, Complication, and Follow-up Among Patients With Rib Injuries Presenting to Urgent Care

Urgent Message: This retrospective cross-sectional study found more than one-third of patients who presented to …
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Clinical 

Congenital Syphilis Testing in Urgent Care

Addressing Congenital Syphilis With Point-of-Care Testing in Urgent Care

Urgent Message: Urgent care centers can help prevent congenital syphilis by screening pregnant patients lacking prenatal records, confirming reactive point-of-care …
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Placebo Effect in Urgent Care Image of Placebo pill

The Placebo Effect and Its Clinical Implications in Urgent Care

Urgent Message: The placebo effect can produce clinical manifestations of various disease states, particularly for pain. It has practical clinical …
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Asthma Management for the Urgent Care

Updated Evidence-Based Pediatric Asthma Management for the Urgent Care Provider

Urgent Message: Acute asthma exacerbations commonly present to urgent care, and providers must be well-equipped to recognize asthma exacerbations and …
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Pelvic Pain in Urgent Care

Gynecologic Causes of Abdominal and Pelvic Pain: Diagnosis and Management

Urgent Message: Abdominal and pelvic pain are common presentations to urgent care. Clinicians need to maintain a broad differential to …
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Practice Management 

Urgent Care Practice Varies by Provider

Urgent Care Practice Varies More by Provider on Duty Than by Center, Payer, or Patient

Urgent Message: Urgent care operators may find practice variation in testing, imaging, referral, and coding among clinicians working in the …
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Absence Management in Urgent Care

Mandated Paid Sick Leave, FMLA, and the Complex Landscape of Absence Management

Urgent Message: To protect clinic continuity and avoid financial liabilities, urgent care operators must master the complex, overlapping patchwork of …
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Tracking Urgent Care Downstream Referrals and ROI Image

Quantifying the Front Door: A Blueprint for Tracking Urgent Care Downstream Referrals and ROI

Urgent Message: Health systems must reframe urgent care from a low-margin cost center to a strategic front door that drives …
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Who Can Take X-Rays in an Urgent Care

Who Can Take X-Rays in an Urgent Care Center: A 50-State Framework

Urgent Message: This 50-state framework details who can legally operate x-ray equipment, as these laws dictate whether the industry’s predominant …
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CASE REPORTS

Ramsay Hunt Syndrome in Urgent Care Feature Image

Ramsay Hunt Syndrome—Early Recognition of Herpes Zoster Oticus in Urgent Care: A Case Report

Urgent Message: If not recognized early, herpes zoster oticus may progress to Ramsay Hunt syndrome with …
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Atrial Fibrillation from Dehydration by Diarrhea

New-Onset Atrial Fibrillation Triggered by Diarrhea-Induced Dehydration: A Case Report

Urgent Message: Dehydration and its associated electrolyte disturbances can precipitate new-onset atrial fibrillation. Recognition of an …
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Accidental Tongue Ring Ingestion in Urgent Care

Accidental Tongue Ring Ingestion: Balancing Caution and Conservative Management in Urgent Care

Urgent Message: Most ingested foreign objects pass spontaneously with little risk of complications in adults. However, …
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Infant with Neuroblastoma Presenting as Eye Bruising

An Infant with Neuroblastoma Presenting as Intermittent Eye Bruising: A Pediatric Case Report

Urgent Message: Recurrent or unexplained periorbital ecchymosis (“raccoon eyes”) in an infant should prompt consideration of …
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Peripheral Neuropathy by Nitrous Oxide

Peripheral Neuropathy Induced by Nitrous Oxide Misuse: A Case Report

Urgent Message: Nitrous oxide-associated peripheral neuropathy may present similarly to Guillain-Barré syndrome, and clinicians are encouraged …
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Download Past Issues

September 2026 JUCM Cover Image

September 2026: Recurrent Eye Bruising: A Red Flag For Infant Neuroblastoma

VIEW ISSUES ARCHIVE

JUCM CAREER CENTER

CLINICAL IMAGE CHALLENGES

Fifth Metacarpal Neck Fracture in Urgent Care

68-Year-Old Female With Swollen, Painful Hand

Differential Diagnosis Contusion Metacarpophalangeal dislocation  Fifth metacarpal neck fracture Intra-articular fifth metacarpal head fracture Diagnosis Plain radiographs show an acute, …
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Extremely Itchy Dark-Ringed Bumps

52-Year-Old Female With Extremely Itchy Dark-Ringed Bumps on Skin of Back

Differential Diagnosis Lichen planus Nummular dermatitis Prurigo nodularis Pemphigoid nodularis Seborrheic dermatitis Nodular scabies Hypertrophic lichen planus  Epidermolysis bullosa pruriginosa  …
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62-Year-Old With Acute Dyspnea

62-Year-Old With Acute Dyspnea

Differential Diagnosis Hyperkalemia Non-ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction (NSTEMI) Wellens syndrome Pulmonary embolism with acute right ventricular strain Hypertrophic cardiomyopathy Diagnosis …
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Vertebral Compression Fractures in Urgent Care

79-Year-Old Female With Acute Back Pain

Differential Diagnosis Acute discogenic pain Vertebral compression fracture Soft tissue back injury Cauda equina syndrome Spondylolisthesis exacerbation Diagnosis The radiographic …
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Actinic Prurigo Rash in Urgent Care

8-Year-Old Male with Facial Rash

Differential Diagnosis Arthropod bites Excoriated eczema Actinic prurigo Polymorphous light eruption Prurigo nodularis Seborrheic dermatitis Solar urticaria Diagnosis The correct …
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Revenue Cycle Management

Documenting For Comprehensive Care

Are You Documenting For Comprehensive Care?

Brad Laymon, PA-C, CPC, CEMC Is there an opportunity to optimize for accurate billing when more comprehensive care is delivered? …
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Costly Urgent Care Coding Mistakes

Coding Mistakes That Quietly Cost You Money

Brad Laymon, PA-C, CPC, CEMC Every clinician I work with wants to do right by their patients and their charts …
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Onboarding and Credentialing Challenges for Urgent Care, Onboarding a Doctor, NP or PA

Onboarding and Credentialing Challenges for Urgent Care in Today’s Payer Environment

Kim Hardin Urgent care organizations continue to face growing operational pressure as payer requirements become increasingly complex. Among the most …
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Medicare 2026 Therapy Services Update

Medicare 2026 Therapy Services Update: Key Changes and What Providers Need to Know

Cindy Dickey; Tricia Krueger, CPC The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) has introduced several important updates to therapy …
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AI-Driven Revenue Cycle Management

The Risks of Fully AI-Driven Revenue Cycle Management

Kimberly Hardin, Josh Rainey As healthcare organizations look to modernize operations, the idea of a fully artificial intelligence (AI)-driven revenue …
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DEVELOPING DATA

Urgent Care Unexpected Closures

How Often Do Urgent Cares Close Unexpectedly?

The average urgent care center goes unexpectedly “dark” 2.3 days a year—which means it closed on a day it otherwise …
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Retail Clinics Shrink By 33%

Retail Clinics Shrink By 33%

RETAIL CLINIC ROOFTOPS BY HOST Between May 2023 and June 2026, the number of health clinics hosted in retail settings …
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Patient review with 5 stars over tablet

The Anatomy of a 1-Star vs 5-Star Google Review

While many urgent care operators measure their overall Google ratings—focusing staff on capturing as many “5-stars” as possible—few understand the …
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Structural Divide in Urgent Care Occupational Medicine

The Structural Divide in Urgent Care Occupational Medicine

Data reveals that occupational medicine in urgent care is fundamentally top-heavy. As the table illustrates, the top 20% of clinics …
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Which Generation Uses Urgent Care

Which Generation Uses Urgent Care The Most?

Understanding generational demographics is critical for any organization because age drives consumer behavior.¹ While the U.S. population is distributed relatively …
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Abstracts in Urgent Care

Urgent Care Abstracts October 2026

Abstracts in Urgent Care – October 2026

Guideline for Recurrent Urinary Tract Infections in Women Take Home Point: This guideline recommends that urinalysis with symptoms should be …
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September 2026 Abstracts in Urgent Care

Abstracts in Urgent Care – September 2026

Web-Based Pediatric Point-of-Care Ultrasound Cases Take Home Point: Implementation of a web-based point-of-care ultrasound (POCUS) educational intervention resulted in improved …
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Retinal Detachment Exam

Abstracts in Urgent Care – July-August 2026

Pediatric Antibiotic Prescribing: In-Person Vs Telemedicine Take Home Point: Telemedicine integrated within primary care was associated with more judicious antibiotic …
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June 2026 Abstracts in Urgent Care

Abstracts in Urgent Care – June 2026

Comparing Point-of-Care Ultrasound With X-Rays in Pediatric Physeal Injuries Take Home Point: Point-of-care ultrasound (POCUS) demonstrated a high sensitivity in …
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Abstracts in Urgent Care May 2026

Abstracts in Urgent Care – May 2026

Variation in Pretibial Laceration Management Take Home Point: Assessment and management of pretibial lacerations lack consistent standardized guidelines, which is …
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LETTER FROM THE EDITOR-IN-CHIEF

Meet Our Patients in Vaccine Hesitancy in Urgent Care

We Must Meet Our Patients Where They Are

Lindsey E. Fish, MD, FCUCM, Editor-in-Chief, The Journal of Urgent Care Medicine, [email protected] In this issue of JUCM, you will …
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Calling All Clinicians

Calling All Clinicians to Join the Colleges

With great excitement—and in full disclosure—I am writing this as the newly elected President of the College of Urgent Care …
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Celebrating 20 Years of JUCM

Celebrating 20 Years of JUCM

“The more things change, the more they stay the same.” This quote by French writer Jean-Baptiste Alphonse Karr in 1849 …
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Training Our Teams to Meet the Needs of Our Patients

Countless times over the last year I have heard variations on a “we can’t” theme. It’s a specific and focused …
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Join Me and Contribute to JUCM

Join Me and Contribute to JUCM

It is an absolute honor and pleasure to serve as the new Editor In Chief of The Journal of Urgent …
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