Journal of Urgent Care Medicine

Human Trafficking in the Urgent Care Setting: Recognizing and Referring Vulnerable Patients

Urgent message: As it is common for human trafficking victims to present to urgent care, providers should be able to understand and identify common red flags in the patient presentation, history, and physical exam; treat immediate medical concerns; and know how to refer and safely provide resources for suspected cases. Preeti Panda, MD Citation: Panda P. Human trafficking in the urgent care setting: recognizing and referring vulnerable patients. J Urgent Care Med. 2023;17(6):13-22. Key words: …

California Hep A Outbreak Continues—and Could Last Years

We told you in August about a hepatitis A outbreak that killed eight people in San Diego County, CA. The worse news is that hep A continues to spread throughout California—and could continue to do so for years to come, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Preventions. At least 569 people have been infected, including 17 who have died, since last November in San Diego, Santa Cruz, and Los Angeles counties. They’re among …

Should Your Urgent Care Center Offer HIV Testing?

Urgent Message: To enable early detection and treatment to help curb future transmissions, CDC guidelines recommend HIV testing be available for patients in all healthcare settings, including urgent care centers. HIV testing can be a practical, profitable, public health service for urgent care centers. Many patients, especially millennials, rely on urgent care as their “provider of first choice.” These are patients who are generally healthy and have no chronic conditions requiring long-term management, but who …

Urgent Care Doc Lauded as ‘Hero of Public Health’

A couple who both complained of vomiting and diarrhea on a Saturday morning could easily be dismissed as partygoers who overindulged the night before. William Rose, MD, FACEP took the time to dig a little deeper, though, and ultimately wound up heading off a possible Salmonella outbreak in West Virginia. The WVU Urgent Care physician thought the symptoms were more indicative of food poisoning than a sour stomach; he told the health department as much …

Study: ACA Fails to Slow ED Visits, But Urgent Care Use Also On the Rise

One of the selling points of the Affordable Care Act (ACA, also known as Obamacare) was that it would save health dollars by diverting newly insured patients away from the emergency room toward primary care physicians. Instead, ED use has continued to grow. The issue, according to Robert Blendon, professor of health policy and political analysis at Harvard’s School of Public Health, is the same as it’s always been, regardless of an individual’s insurance status: …