Practice Management
With months of the flu season still ahead and the rate of new cases continuing to rise across the country, now is the time to step up efforts to immunize as many patients as possible. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reports that outpatient visits for flu-like symptoms are up 3.4% compared with this point in last year’s flu season. Further, more than 1,300 people were hospitalized between October and December (the month when …
A new year always brings changes, and CPT is not excluded. On January 1, 2017 you will want to take note of CPT code changes that will affect your billing. Imaging Guidance Codes with Puncture Aspiration If guidance is used for needle placement when performing puncture aspiration CPT code 10160, “Puncture aspiration of abscess, hematoma, bulla, or cyst,” coders are directed to the imaging guidance codes: 76492, “Ultrasonic guidance for needle placement (eg, biopsy, aspiration, …
The following chart, based data from a Practice Velocity study of more than 20,000,000 patient visits over a 5-year period, shows that urgent care exhibits a strong pattern of seasonality. The average daily visits in each month vary from average daily visits over the course of a year. For example, on an average day in July, there are 14% fewer patients than the baseline number, whereas in an average day in December, there are 25% …
Influenza sits alone as the only infectious disease among the top 10 causes of death in the United States, proving more work needs to be done to ensure everyone who needs a flu shot gets one. Urgent care is ideally suited to saving lives through prevention in this area, being an increasingly popular destination for people without a “medical home” and among newly insured patients. Influenza and pneumonia are listed as the seventh leading causes …
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) continues to stress that immunization—plus everyday hygiene—is the best way to avoid potentially deadly flu. Urgent care providers are in an especially good position to try to influence patients, as anyone feeling bad enough to seek immediate care may be susceptible to suggestions on how to avoid feeling even worse down the road. The CDC recommends six steps providers can take to encourage even reluctant patients to …
Last year’s relatively mild flu season is likely indicative of two things: The vaccine produced was a good match for the prevalent strains of influenza, and this year’s season could be a doozy. The latter point would be borne out by history, which shows that “good” flu seasons are most often followed by “bad” flu seasons. That’s why the Centers for Disease Control and Preventions continues to hammer home the message that early vaccination is …
The following chart, based on a study of over 20,000,000 patients’ records in Practice Velocity’s database of patient visits across the United States, illustrates the frequency of influenza diagnoses between January 2010 and October 2016 relative to total urgent care visits that carried an evaluation and management (E/M) code. The period of December through January is the typical peak of the flu season, although in some years flu outbreaks occur somewhat earlier or later. In …
Urgent message: Being able to recognize the distinct oral lesions of common illnesses in children is essential, but it can be difficult to conduct an oral examination in frightened young children. Introduction Inspecting intraoral lesions in children will often confirm a diagnosis, but getting uncooperative patients to let the clinician visualize such lesions is challenging. Here we provide helpful examination tips and review common pediatric infectious and allergic oral lesions and their treatment. Techniques for …
It’s been well documented that higher flu shot rates equate to lower incidence of potentially deadly seasonal influenza cases. It’s also been shown that some patients are less likely than others to get a flu shot. Some think they don’t need it or can’t afford it. However, you can reach those who claim it’s too inconvenient to get a shot, or that they simply don’t have the time, by setting up shop wherever people congregate. …
The flu season has barely begun, with the peak not expected for at least 2 months, but there’s already an uptick in reported cases—and multiple deaths—around the country. Just last week, Nevada reported three fatalities and North Carolina reported its first of the 2016–2017 season. The grim news is an opportunity to stress to patients the importance of getting their annual flu shot early, as suggested by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Ask …