Journal of Urgent Care Medicine

One More Look at Head Injury Presentations in Urgent Care

In this issue, we’ve offered an urgent care perspective on which patients presenting with head injury are most likely to require a scan, and shared insights into one urgent care center’s efforts to get a handle on which pediatric patients with head injury really need to be transferred to the emergency room. The fact is that the CT scan remains the standard for assessing for traumatic brain injury. The question that remains is, what’s next? …

Effectively Utilizing 90-Day Probationary Periods for New Employees

Urgent message: A 90-day probationary period suspends the standard employment rules for new employees, enabling them to learn the position, but providing an “out” before the employee becomes too entrenched. Alan A. Ayers, MBA, MAcc is Chief Executive Officer of Velocity Urgent Care, LLC and is Practice Management Editor of The Journal of Urgent Care Medicine. Introduction Whenever a company hires a new employee, despite the most sound recruiting and interviewing processes, they’re taking a …

New Rules for Beneficiary Inducements at Urgent Care Centers

Urgent message: Unlike other retail businesses, which commonly provide gift cards and other incentives in marketing or as remediation for unsatisfactory service, urgent care operators must be aware of various statutes prohibiting “inducements” to patients. Alan A. Ayers, MBA, MAcc is Chief Executive Officer of Velocity Urgent Care and is Practice Management Editor of The Journal of Urgent Care Medicine. People in the U.S. love the idea of getting something for nothing. Businesses across the …

Thinking Differently About Paid Time Off

Alan A. Ayers, MBA, MAcc is Chief Executive Officer of Velocity Urgent Care, LLC and is Practice Management Editor of The Journal of Urgent Care Medicine. Urgent message: As 24/7 connectedness becomes the norm in the modern workplace, innovative technology companies have begun exploring unlimited paid time off (PTO) policies as a way to promote better work/life balance. Could unlimited PTO also become a trend in a healthcare industry that is likewise becoming increasingly 24/7 …

Reduction in Reimbursements for Modifier -25

Q: Last fall, Anthem Blue Cross Blue Shield sent a notice to physicians in several states regarding their intent to reduce reimbursement rates on any evaluation and management (E/M) services billed with modifier -25, “significant, separately identifiable E/M,” by 50% effective January 1, 2018. What are the implications for urgent care? A: This announcement initially spurred action from the California Medical Association (CMA) to coordinate with the American Medical Association (AMA), as well as other …

When is On-Demand Care Most In-Demand?

The combination of convenience and quality is the hallmark of the urgent care industry. As time goes on and patients have an increasing array of options, however, “convenience” may be a relevant term (for example, virtual care is becoming more appealing to consumers and payers). Urgent care has taken notice and continues to expand its offerings, from the foundational walk-in visits for a sore throat to school physicals, return-to-work clearance, and support for cancer-related problems. …

Facility Design: Cultivating Collaboration in the Back Office

Alan A. Ayers, MBA, MAcc is Chief Executive Officer of Velocity Urgent Care and is Practice Management Editor of The Journal of Urgent Care Medicine. Urgent message: To move patients through the center quickly, urgent care demands near-constant communication among providers and staff. Eliminating enclosed provider offices in favor of shared workspaces promotes back office collaboration while keeping providers focused on clinic activities in real time. Urgent care reflects the seismic shift occurring in healthcare—traditional, …

The Incidentals of ‘Incident-to’ Billing

Q: I plan to hire physician assistants and other nonphysician providers in my urgent care clinic. I understand that I can use “incident to” billing to have their patient visits reimbursed at the physician rate. What are the rules for “incident-to” billing? A: The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) defines “incident to” as “those services that are furnished incident to physician professional services in the physician’s office (whether located in a separate office …

The Importance and Validity of Nondisclosure and Nonsolicitation Clauses for Urgent Care Center Owners

Alan A. Ayers, MBA, MAcc is Chief Executive Officer of Velocity Urgent Care, LLC and is Practice Management Editor of The Journal of Urgent Care Medicine. Urgent message: Nondisclosure and nonsolicitation clauses are necessary to protect an urgent care center from providers and staff utilizing information gained in their employment in ways that may be damaging to the business, but to be effective, their restrictions and limitations must be understood. Businesses frequently rely upon important …

A Snapshot of Flu Vaccination Rates

The ongoing 2017–18 flu season is already one of the worst in recent memory. Recently released data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention may offer a clue as to one reason: Based on a complete study of the 2016–17 season, the CDC conjectures that influenza immunization rates may have plateaued. During that most recently completed season, just 46.8% of patients age 6 months or older got a flu shot—an increase of just 1.2% …