Journal of Urgent Care Medicine

Flu Season Winds Down With Lower Than Average Visits in Early April

Outpatient visits for flu like illness are on a steady decline in the United States, indicating reduced activity of respiratory viruses including flu, COVID, and respiratory syncytial virus. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reports the first week of April showed that visits for respiratory illness with fever plus a cough or sore throat fell to 2.8%, just below the national baseline of 2.9%. Positive labs for flu were down 7.7% since the …

Rapid Viral Tests Best When They Inform Treatment Decisions

A recent review suggests that the routine application of rapid respiratory viral tests in emergency departments (EDs) offers limited benefits for antimicrobial stewardship. Presented in JAMA Internal Medicine, the review examined 11 randomized clinical trials involving patients with acute respiratory infections (ARIs) seeking care in EDs. It revealed that while rapid viral testing led to increased usage of influenza antivirals among positive cases (absolute risk difference 1%), it did not significantly impact overall antibiotic use, …

Abstracts in Urgent Care – March 2024

Omicron versus Flu & RSV – Which is Most Dangerous for Children? Take Home Point: In this study, hospitalization rates were highest for patients with RSV than Omicron (COVID-19) in all age groups of children. Citation: Hedberg P, Abdel-Halem L, Valik J, et. al. Outcomes of Pediatric SARS-CoV-2 Omicron Infection vs Influenza and Respiratory Syncytial Virus Infections. JAMA Pediatr. 2023 Dec 26: e235734. doi: 10.1001/jamapediatrics.2023.5734 Relevance: With increasing availability for respiratory pathogen testing, it is …

Nine Recurring Coding Pitfalls for Urgent Care Clinicians to Avoid

Brad Laymon, PA, CPC, CEMC Over my career as a physician assistant, I have delved extensively into the intricacies of medical coding guidelines. Through collaborative initiatives with healthcare systems and fellow clinicians, I have been able to identify 9 common, recurring coding pitfalls. This process came with significant time and experience, and I want to share what I’ve learned as my ultimate objective has always been advancing charting accuracy to instill confidence among providers in …

Flu Can Increase Risk of Heart Attack and Stroke in Older Patients

The risk of atherothrombotic events in patients aged 50 and older care more than double in the 14 days following an influenza diagnosis, according to research presented in The Journal of Infectious Diseases. For those with severe cases, the risk of acute myocardial infarction and ischemic stroke increased more than 4-fold and remained high for 2 months following the flu event. Authors examined the link between influenza illness diagnosed in the primary care and hospital settings …

Incomplete Kawasaki Disease Clinically Diagnosed From Urgent Care: A Case-Report-Based Review

Urgent Message: The accurate and prompt diagnosis of Kawasaki disease depends on clinicians’ familiarity with the diagnostic criteria and ability to recognize the waxing and waning manifestations of this pediatric condition. Dominic K. Hardatt, DMSc, PA-C Citation: Hardatt DK. Incomplete Kawasaki Disease Clinically Diagnosed from Urgent Care: A Case Report Based Review. J Urgent Care Med. 2024;18(5);34-39. Keywords: Kawasaki disease, mucocutaneous lymph node syndrome, incomplete Kawasaki disease, febrile illness, fever, polymorphous rash, pediatric, coronary artery …

Antiviral Use Higher Than Years Past

Flu season continues, and providers in several US markets are seeing surges in respiratory-virus-related visits. Meanwhile, new data also shows a year-over-year increase in antiviral prescriptions to treat influenza, according to a news report in Fierce Healthcare, leveraging data from Evernorth Research Institute (a Cigna subsidiary). Analyzing pharmacy claims for 32 million people, researchers noted an uptick in antiviral prescriptions in the weeks following Thanksgiving 2023 when compared to a similar time period during past …

Flu Season Begins For Urgent Care

In late November, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) noted that the number of healthcare visits related to influenza, COVID-19, and respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) was particularly high among children, causing concern in communities about this “tripledemic” of respiratory illness. According to Experity data, the first week of October ushered in flu season for urgent care, when positivity rates for the three viruses among all urgent care center visits began to rise.1 Since …

Free Federal Program Competes With UC During Flu Season

The Home Test to Treat program, a virtual community-health initiative created by the federal government, has scaled up to offer free nationwide testing and treatment services for COVID-19 and influenza. Offering at-home rapid tests, telehealth sessions, and home-delivered medication, the program is a collaboration among three federal agencies. Uninsured adults or those enrolled in Medicare, Medicaid, Veterans Affairs, or the Indian Health Services can now enroll to receive free tests. Positive test results allow patients …

‘Tripledemic’ Has 35% of Americans on Edge

A survey of 1,559 adults conducted by the Annenberg Public Policy Center of the University of Pennsylvania found that 35% of Americans worry that they or someone in their family will get respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) in the next 3 months. The same percentage (35%) said they are worried that they or someone in their family will get COVID-19 in the next 3 months, up from 21% in August 2023. Flu concerns are somewhat higher, however, …