Practice Management
What do you think it would cost to get 6 minutes of exposure on television, demonstrating your clinical expertise by talking about a wide range of high-interest health topics? It’s actually a moot question, because a) you probably couldn’t afford it and b) if you’re the chief medical officer of Peachtree Immediate Care in Atlanta, you just got it for free. James Yost, MD sat down with one of the hosts of 11 Alive’s atl&co …
A study newly published in BMJ reaffirms that too many inappropriate prescriptions for antibiotics are being written, especially during influenza season. It also reflects some ambiguity in prescribers’ reporting habits, however, and offers some insights into which drugs are being prescribed the most. The authors found that 25% of antibiotic prescriptions are written for “inappropriate” reasons, and that 18% reflect cases in which documentation was insufficient to determine whether a prescription was appropriate or not. …
In an ordinary year, this would be early to start recognizing trends in the influenza season. Sadly, this is not an ordinary year, however, as the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says an early start to flu season is hitting more of the most vulnerable patients than ever. Numbers are up across the board, but those over age 64 and under age 4 are being afflicted disproportionately at this point (3.6 cases per 100,000 …
It’s likely your patients have been so inundated with flu shot messaging that they don’t know the entire world, including the U.S., is in the midst of one of the worst years for measles infection in decades. At the same time, and certainly not coincidentally, vaccination rates are stagnating worldwide, according to the World Health Organization. Measles infected nearly 10 million people around the world in 2018, according to the WHO, but the number of …
More Advice on Inquiring About—and Assessing—Vaping and EVALI Key points: Citation: Siegel DA, Jatlaoui TC, Koumans EH, et al. Update: Interim Guidance for Health Care Providers Evaluating and Caring for Patients with Suspected E-cigarette, or Vaping, Product Use Associated Lung Injury—United States, October 2019. MMWR Morb Mortal Wkly Rep. 2019;68:919–927. Key point: Physicians should inquire about e-cig or vaping use in a nonjudgemental but thorough manner. Ask about specific products, frequency, and associated drug use. …
What’s New in Flu Vaccine Information New First-In-Class Pleuromutilin Antibiotic for CAP Abdominal Pain in Patients with IUDs—Watch Out for Ectopic Pregnancy Cancer-Causing Chemical Found in Ranitidine Measles Cases and Outbreaks Cooling Pediatric Burns Occ Med: Severe Silicosis in Stone Fabrication Workers An Update on Vaccine the 2019-2020 Flu Season Key points: The CDC recommends annual influenza vaccination for everyone 6 months of age and older, with any licensed influenza vaccine that is appropriate …
Flu Season is Nearly Synonymous with Rapid Test Season—Are You Ready? Patients come to urgent care because they know they can get excellent care without an appointment, and without languishing in the waiting area of the ED. So, it stands to reason that if they need lab tests they want to get them on site, at your facility, with the same degree of efficiency that drew them in to begin with. This is never truer …
Urgent message: Though ear pain is often due to otitis media or externa, it is important to include other diagnoses, some of which could be life-threatening, “can’t miss” causes. Introduction Patient complaints of ear pain (otalgia) are seen frequently in the urgent care setting. It can be frustrating for patients and providers when a patient’s ear pain has no obvious cause. Differential diagnoses include several primary and secondary causes of otalgia. (See Table 1.) Lab …
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says influenza season is off to its earliest start in 10 years. By mid-November 30 states had confirmed cases. These facts have been detailed on local and national TV news programs and in major newspapers and online news sources. And yet, many people who intend to get vaccinated haven’t done so. Your urgent care providers could be the catalysts for getting them to take that step, possibly saving …
In consideration of mounting cases of influenza—and the respiratory concerns they bring with them—the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has updated its guidelines on diagnosing and treating patients with signs of e-cigarette or vaping lung injury (EVALI). Urgent care providers, and all healthcare professionals, are urged to ask patients with symptoms of respiratory or gastrointestinal illness (or symptoms such as fever, chills, or weight loss) if they use, and how often they use, e-cigarettes …