Just to confirm, the COVID-19 pandemic has generally not been kind to the urgent care industry. Locations that could get their hands on testing supplies at the outset were inundated with patients clamoring to know if they had the virus. The many facilities that got shut out of test distribution chains suffered greatly, though—as did the industry as a whole. Now, even as case loads continue to climb again in many states, the public’s panic …
Read MoreMore and More, Urgent Care Is a One-Stop Destination
It’s not uncommon for the uninitiated to view urgent care as just the first, most convenient stop in what may be a two- or three-stop odyssey to resolve an immediate healthcare need. That could take all day and wind up being very expensive. Those in the know—certainly urgent care providers, operators, and experienced patients—understand that a trip to the urgent care center is often all a patient needs to get the right level of …
Read MoreIs Specialization the Future of Urgent Care?
Urgent care has historically been viewed as a setting where patients could present with anything short of life- or limb-threatening complaints (though even those parameters have been stretched in dire situations.) And that identity has served the industry well, as evidenced by nearly constant growth over several decades. As time wore on, though, it became evident that there are business opportunities to be had by addressing niches with special needs. Occupational medicine is a prime …
Read MoreChildren Are Visiting Urgent Care in Growing Numbers—Is That Reflected in Your Practice?
JUCM has devoted a lot more space to covering aspects of providing urgent care for children. In this very issue there’s a new original research article on how long the SARS-CoV-2 virus lasts in children who may or may not be symptomatic (see page XX). And if you look at our Masthead, you’ll notice we’ve even engaged a pediatric urgent care provider to provide guidance and to help us ensure we’re conveying the right information …
Read MoreUntil the COVID-19 Vaccine Is Widely Distributed, Keep Testing—and Reporting
When the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention updated their running count of data related to COVID-19 on December 7, a couple of subtle messages highly relevant to the urgent care provider stood out. Yes, the headlines went to the dramatic spike in cases, hospitalizations, and ICU admissions. However, the data also reveal something that emerged in Incidence of SARS-CoV-2 in Preoperative Patients Tested in an Urgent Care Setting, the original research articles featured on …
Read More2020 Be Remembered for—Beyond the Obvious?
If you surveyed Google data for 2020, you’d probably find that some of the most oft-used terms of the year were pandemic, covid, coronavirus, or even social distancing, work from home, and new normal. Let’s just say it’s been a year of seismic cultural change not only in the United States and across the globe, but also within the urgent care industry. While, clearly, there have been many hardships and tragedies this year, urgent care …
Read MoreTurning Back the Tide of Antibiotic Resistance, One (Unfilled) Prescription at a Time
According to JUCM’s own chart research, antibiotics are the most-prescribed class of medications in urgent care. This is not surprising, given that six of the top 10 presenting complaints in urgent care encompass possible diagnoses for which an antibiotic could be an appropriate choice.1 Still, there’s no denying that antibiotics have been overprescribed across the board—in retail clinics, emergency room, traditional primary care offices, and urgent care. This was clearly validated in a research …
Read MoreMIS-C: What to Look for—and the Consequences of Missing It
At the outset of the COVID-19 pandemic, it appeared that children were somehow less susceptible to becoming infected and, if they did get sick, had some unexplained level of protection against becoming severely ill. Like many “facts” about the virus, however, our understanding has changed since then. While it still appears that children are getting sick at lower rates than adults, we now know COVID-19 can have dire consequences for younger patients. In fact, …
Read MoreLeft on the Bench at the Start of the Pandemic, Urgent Care Rebounds in a Big Way
If you worked in an urgent care center located anywhere but a major urban hotspot at the outset of the COVID-19 pandemic, it’s likely your business suffered. You may have even seen your team diminished or your business (we hope temporarily) closed. It didn’t have to be that way. Between testing patients for COVID-19 and treating others for whom there was no room at the emergency room, it should have been a shining moment for …
Read MoreVisits to Primary Care Are Down—While Visits to Urgent Care Are on the Rise
Cost, convenience, and quality are features healthcare consumers cherish. The challenge for healthcare consumers is to find a facility that offers all three. While they can certainly find quality care that’s convenient in their local emergency room, the cost for that care is high. A traditional primary care practice is also a good choice for quality care, but while the cost is going to be much lower than in the ED the patient may have …
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