Journal of Urgent Care Medicine

Don’t Be Too Quick to Blame Doctors for the Opioid Crisis

Physicians, including urgent care providers, may be taking more than their share of the blame for the ongoing opioid crisis in the U.S., according to a report by The New York Times and ProPublica. While some public officials and media outlets have accused doctors of, essentially, enabling opioid addiction by prescribing narcotic pain medications too liberally, data show that prices set by insurers may be steering doctors and patients alike away from less-addictive alternatives. Opioid …

Company Has to Pay $1.8 Million After Firing a Worker for Taking Prescribed Meds

These are complicated times for urgent care operators who offer occupational medicine services like employee drug screens. The opioid crisis across the country muddies the waters even more, as state laws and medical practice guidelines seek to inhibit the use of opioid pain medications in order to stem increases in addiction and related deaths. Many employers are following suit, but be mindful that even well-intentioned drug testing programs can have severe consequences—for the company. Most …

More Hospitals Respond to Opioid Crisis—Should Urgent Care, Too?

We told you recently about an innovative, urgent care-centric program Boston Medical Center launched to get patients who are addicted to opioids the care they need as efficiently as possible. Now more hospitals are jumping on the bandwagon to fight the addiction epidemic. Patients who are treated for overdoses at SSM Health St. Mary Hospital in Madison, WI are invited to meet with “recovery coaches” on staff in the emergency room. Initiatives have even gone …