Journal of Urgent Care Medicine

Flu Season Off to Slow Start in 2024-2025

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reports that respiratory virus activity remains low nationally, while also confirming the first pediatric flu death of the 2024-2025 season, recorded in the middle of October. Overall, 201 laboratory-confirmed influenza-associated hospitalizations were reported between October 1 and November 2, 2024. Weekly trend lines show an increase of 2.4% in terms of outpatient visits to healthcare providers for respiratory illnesses for the week ending November 2. Separately, the …

Caffeine-Related ED Visits Double for Teens and Tweens

Caffeinated drinks seem to have become a lifestyle for American teens and tweens. A recent study from Epic Research showed that emergency department (ED) visits connected to consuming excessive amounts of caffeine nearly doubled among some age groups from 2017 to 2023. For kids ages 15 to 18, the rate increased from 7.4 per 100,000 visits in 2017 to 13.6 per 100,000 visits in 2023. But for kids ages 11 to 14, visits related to …

WellNow Returns to In-Network Status With Excellus BCBS

Breaking a 10-month stalemate, WellNow Urgent Care and Excellus BlueCross BlueShield (BCBS) have at last executed a new contract agreement, putting WellNow back in-network as of November 15, 2024, according to an email from WellNow. Excellus insurance plans covered about 300,000 WellNow visits in New York last year. At least 40 centers are located in Central New York where hospital closures in recent years have provided WellNow opportunities to fill gaps in access. “At WellNow …

FDA Considers Removing Decongestant From Store Shelves

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is looking to remove oral phenylephrine from its list of approved over-the-counter ingredients. After a committee review, the oral decongestant was unanimously determined to be ineffective, according to FDA. However, removal from store shelves would occur no earlier than 2026, and the agency emphasizes that its proposed ban is based on effectiveness concerns, not on safety concerns. Over-the-counter oral phenylephrine has been on the market for 30 years. Chime …

Healthcare Workers Endure Violence Routinely—Even After the Pandemic

In a sobering cross-sectional study, researchers found that healthcare workers in emergency departments (EDs) experience workplace violence at a rate of once every 3.7 shifts. Even worse, in the large urban ED study site, 25% of the incidents involved physical violence, as published in JAMA Network Open. The odds of experiencing violence increased for those in a nursing role and workers of a younger age. Those who experienced violence reported they were moderately or severely …

Cranberry Juice Helps Kids With Recurrent UTI

Preventing recurrent urinary tract infection (RUTI) in children usually involves antibiotic prophylaxis. A new meta-analysis in Pediatrics of 23 randomized controlled trials found that for children with a history of RUTI, the antibiotic nitrofurantoin and cranberry products— both cranberry juice and tablets as supplementation—appeared to decrease the incidence of symptomatic episodes. Nitrofurantoin significantly lowering odds of symptomatic UTI episodes during prophylaxis, whether compared with controls (odds ratio [OR] 0.21, 95% confidence interval [CI] 0.07-0.65, P=0.007) …

Novant Acquires UCI, Adds 52 Urgent Care Clinics

Novant Health has completed its acquisition of UCI Medical Affiliates, Inc. (UCI), previously owned by BlueCross BlueShield of South Carolina. The deal includes 52 Doctors Care urgent care clinics and 20 Progressive Physical Therapy clinics. UCI also provides nonmedical management and administrative services specifically for urgent care and physical therapy operators. Charlotte-based Novant has 3 hospitals in South Carolina, so the urgent care additions will no doubt offer some new referral source potential. Staying the …

UH Building Up Urgent Care in Ohio to Match Cleveland Clinic

In the northern Ohio market, University Hospitals (UH) has paired with WellStreet Urgent Care to open a flurry of UH-branded urgent care centers in suburban locations. Within 2 years, the joint venture is aiming to have 36 UH urgent care centers open across the region—directly competing with the existing 36 centers currently operated by UH rival Cleveland Clinic, according to Cleveland.com. UH has selected sites near its primary care offices to better close the loop …

Zoning Upends Bon Secours Urgent Care Plans

Urgent care site selection can be tricky business. Once operators have sized up their addressable market, considered the competition, and estimated the available workforce, opening their doors may seem like a cinch. However, local zoning approvals must figure into site selection strategy as well. Last week, city councilors in Celina, Ohio, voted down a rezoning measure, which ultimately prevented Bon Secours Mercy Health from building a 4,200-square-foot urgent care on a former manufacturing site in …

Ascension Acquires Independent Urgent Care in Kansas

Ascension’s Via Christi Hospital in Kansas has acquired K+STAT Urgent Care, according to local WIBW News. While Via Christi is managing all assets and operations as of November 1, K+STAT will continue to see patients in the same location under its established brand. Via Christi has 6 hospitals and 75 care sites in the state. K+STAT is a single-site urgent care directed by 8 board certified family physicians, according to the website, and it’s the …

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