Journal of Urgent Care Medicine

Practice Management

 

Urgent Care News

Lumbar Belt Helps Back Pain

Back Pain May Improve With Lumbar Belt Use

Lumbar belts appear to be helpful for alleviating low back pain, possibly offering a reasonable …
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Continuous Dual Glucose Ketone Monitoring System

Patients Can Now Track Their Ketone Trajectory

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved a continuous glucose and ketone monitoring system, …
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Patient Results in Portal

Is It Okay For Patients To Sneak a Peek In The Portal?

Waiting for test results can be a nerve-wracking experience for patients, and many are accessing …
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Urgent Care Antibiotic Stewardship Results

Urgent Care Antibiotic Stewardship Produces Positive Results

Antimicrobial stewardship programs (ASPs) in urgent care settings appear to produce practice improvement, according to …
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Clinicians Don’t Always Agree

Clinicians Don’t Always Agree On Physical Exam Findings

A prospective multicenter study that compared physical examination findings in children with community-acquired pneumonia (CAP) …
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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 

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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Shortness of Breath in Pregnancy in Urgent Care

Shortness of Breath in Pregnancy: Differentiating Physiology from Pathology in Urgent Care

Urgent Message: As shortness of breath and edema are common in pregnancy, urgent care clinicians must distinguish patients with normal …
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Practice Management 

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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2026 Urgent Care Top 100

The 2026 Urgent Care Top 100 By Number of Locations

Alan Ayers, MBA, MAcc Keywords: urgent care; ambulatory care facilities; joint venture; organizational affiliation The nation’s total urgent care center …
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CASE REPORTS

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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Necrotizing Fasciitis image

Occult Presentation of Necrotizing Fasciitis With Subtle Clinical Findings: A Case Report

Urgent Message: Necrotizing fasciitis may present without visible soft tissue abnormalities. Therefore, clinical signs and symptoms—including …
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Boy Child with Adrenal Glands highlighted in Yellow Adrenal Crisis in Urgent Care

Recognizing and Managing Adrenal Crisis in Urgent Care: A Case Report

Urgent Message: Adrenal crisis is uncommon in the urgent care setting, but it can be rapidly …
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Behçet Disease

Behçet Disease: Atypical Presentation in a Non-Endemic Geographical Region

Urgent Message: Behçet disease may present atypically in non-endemic regions, and ocular involvement requires urgent specialty …
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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

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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POCUS Achilles Rupture in Urgent Care

64-Year-Old With Acute Posterior Ankle Pain

Differential Diagnosis Ankle sprain Calf muscle injury Complete Achilles tendon rupture Partial Achilles tendon tear Achilles tendinopathy Deep vein thrombosis …
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Limb Lead Reversal ECG

83-Year-Old Female With Palpitations

Differential Diagnosis Acute coronary syndrome Left posterior fascicular block Dextrocardia Limb lead reversal Marked (extreme) right axis deviation Discussion The …
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X-ray of unstable ankle injury, Weber B/C type injury

28-Year-Old Female With Rolled Right Ankle

Differential Diagnosis Isolated malleolar fracture Unstable ankle fracture High-grade ankle sprain Peroneal tendinopathy Diagnosis The diagnosis of an unstable ankle …
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Revenue Cycle Management

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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Guide to Coding Denials and Diagnosis Compliance

A Basic Guide to Coding Denials and Diagnosis Compliance

Samantha Etter, CPC; Reanna Nelson, CPC Healthcare reimbursement processes continue to evolve. In 2026, diagnosis-based denials have increased significantly across …
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DEVELOPING DATA

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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The ‘Test and Treat’ Shift: 2026

“Test and treat” legislation at the state level is transforming pharmacists from dispensers into providers, authorizing them to diagnose and …
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Abstracts in Urgent Care

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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Abstracts in Urgent Care – April 2026

Chest X-rays for Abdominal Pain: Physicians’ Perspectives Take Home Point: In this study, emergency medicine physicians expressed favorable attitudes toward …
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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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