Journal of Urgent Care Medicine

Retail Health Clinics Aren’t Dead Yet

As more retailers lose their enthusiasm for primary care and urgent care services, traditional provider organizations still are in no position to ignore the market share that retailers may potentially gain. Kaufman Hall’s recent newsletter notes: “If these retailers want to find success in primary care, partnering with traditional providers could be a beneficial opportunity for all parties.” With retail clinics as a convenient front door, health systems and payers with provider assets could leverage …

California Health Workers Start Seeing Bump in Pay

In California, many healthcare workers will start earning a minimum of $18 an hour in their paychecks, while those at some larger health organizations will begin getting paid at least $23 an hour this week. A law signed last year was set to increase workers’ pay over the next decade starting in June, but the start date was delayed until this week because of budget concerns. A new $25 hourly rate will gradually go into …

Electronic Nudges Improve Flu Vaccine Rates

A new study in JAMA found that sending electronic reminders (or “nudges”) significantly improved influenza vaccination rates among people with chronic diseases compared to standard care. During the 2022–2023 flu season in Denmark, researchers found only 40.7% of patients with diabetes and 44.6% with heart failure received flu shots. After sending electronic letters with tailored messages to 299,881 patients aged 18 to 64 in 6 different randomized groups, the overall vaccination rate was higher for …

After Helene, Ballad Health Opens 24 Hour UC to Close Gaps

Ballad Health announced the opening of a 24-hour Advanced Urgent Care clinic in Erwin, Tennessee, to address access issues after flooding overtook a local hospital during Hurricane Helene, according to WJHL. On September 27, more than 50 workers and patients fled to the roof of Unicoi County Hospital for an emergency evaluation where first-responder rescue helicopters transported everyone to safety as flood waters encroached on the building. Since then, the hospital has been closed indefinitely. …

AFC Adds 3 Urgent Medcare Locations to its Portfolio

American Family Care (AFC), has acquired 3 Urgent Medcare locations, previously owned by CRH Healthcare. The newly acquired clinics are located in greater Huntsville, Alabama. AFC plans to complete the openings of more than 40 new urgent care, primary care, and occupational medicine locations this year, following the openings of 64 rooftops in 17 states last year, according to a press release. In all, the company has 370 locations. CRH Healthcare has 85 locations in …

Majority of Adults With ADHD Had Hard Time Finding Medications

Roughly 15.5 million U.S. adults have attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), and more than 71% of them reported difficulty obtaining their ADHD medication during October–November 2023 because it was in short supply, according to new data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. ADHD symptoms typically begin in childhood, however, 55% of those with the condition said they had been diagnosed as adults. Approximately one-third of adults reported taking prescription stimulant ADHD medication during the …

Health Systems Break Ties With UnitedHealthcare

Several major health systems are struggling to reach contract agreements with UnitedHealthcare (UHC) to provide care services for members covered by the insurer. Recently, Duke Health posted in a blog that its UHC reimbursement is below the 25th percentile among similar hospitals in North Carolina, which it calls “unacceptable” as it continues contracting talks with UHC. If no agreement is achieved, Duke will be out-of-network as of November 1 for several health plan products, including …

High Dose Stimulants Present Elevated Risk for Mania

A recent study of adult emergency department (ED) admissions published in Psychiatry Online found that patients taking high doses of prescription amphetamine drugs such as Adderall (>30 mg dextroamphetamine equivalents) have a 5.28-fold increased risk for developing psychosis or mania. Researchers compared 1,374 cases of individuals presenting with first-episode psychosis or mania to 2,748 control patients with a psychiatric hospitalization for other conditions. Data analysis suggests that 81% of cases of psychosis or mania potentially …

Arm Position Matters In Blood Pressure Measurement

A randomized clinical trial of 133 adults published in JAMA Internal Medicine showed that arm position can have an effect on blood pressure (BP) readings. When subjects supported their arm on their lap, it resulted in systolic BP readings overestimated by 3.9 mm Hg and diastolic BP readings overestimated by 4.0 mm Hg. Additionally, an unsupported arm at the subject’s side overestimated systolic BP by 6.5 mm Hg and diastolic BP by 4.4 mm Hg. …

Oral Antibiotic Prescriptions Trending Down

From 2011 to 2019, the rate of oral antibiotic prescriptions filled at U.S. outpatient pharmacies declined by 13%. The number of prescriptions dropped from 877 per 1,000 people in 2011 to 765 per 1,000 people in 2018 and 2019. According to a Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) study published in the American Journal of Epidemiology, a total of 2.4 billion oral antibiotic prescriptions were dispensed over this time period. The most significant reduction (-25%) …