Journal of Urgent Care Medicine

Urgent Care’s Voice is Heard on Medicare Coding Changes

The Urgent Care Association (UCA) has officially filed comments with the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS), supporting a proposal to modify the “24/7” access requirements for providers who plan to bill Medicare for Chronic Care Management (CCM) codes. According to UCA, the new language will allow primary care providers “to more easily meet the CCM billing requirements if they contract with urgent care centers for their patient’s acute care needs, including evenings and …

UCA Commits to Antibiotic Stewardship

The Urgent Care Association (UCA) has outlined a framework by which it plans to guide urgent care centers to reduce inappropriate outpatient antibiotic, with an ultimate goal to curb the growing threat of antibiotic resistance. UCA’s statement notes that with urgent care clinicians treating some 160 million patients annually—many of whom think they may need an antibiotic—this setting is in a strong position to effect positive change. “UCA recognizes the vitally important role our clinicians …

Is Orthopedic Urgent Care Really Urgent Care?

As the urgent care industry moves forward, other specialties seek to get on board by establishing niche markets within the urgent care industry. Across the United States, subspecialty urgent care such as orthopedic urgent care, pediatric urgent care, and psychiatric urgent care, etc. are already trying to establishing themselves within the urgent care industry. As these facilities become more specialized and exclusive, the question must be asked: Are these subspecialty facilities urgent care—or just marketing …

Free Urgent Care Webinar: Even a First-Round Draft Pick is an Employee

Providers are the key personnel in any medical facility, and urgent care centers are no exception. To use a sports analogy, they’re the “superstars” of the team—which means they have to deliver if you’re going to have a winning record. However, as independent contractors, they can also put you on the losing side of Department of Labor and Internal Revenue Service violations. Attorney and experienced compliance officer Kurt Tullar will explain how to stay in …

UCA Lobbies for Driver Sleep Apnea Screening

The Urgent Care Association (UCA) has filed comments with the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA), supporting annual screening of transportation workers diagnosed with obstructive sleep apnea (OSA). UCA’s position is in agreement with the FMCSA’s and the Medical Review Board’s contention that a driver with OSA should be recertified annually, regardless of whether he or she is undergoing treatment for the condition. Drivers who do say they’re being treated would have to demonstrate compliance …

UCA Webinar: Making the Right Diagnosis for Common Urgent Care Complaints

In urgent care, you get one shot to make the right diagnosis for patients you may have never seen before. If you want to make sure you see them again (ie, they become loyal customers), you have to get it right the first time. Michael Loeb, MD, will cover differentiating factors for making the right diagnosis when presented with common complaints, as well as appropriate management for sinusitis, bronchitis, dysuria, urethritis, and more in 5 …

UCA Seeks Accommodations for Small Practices in Proposed CMS Payments System

A new payment system being considered by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) will have to make more accommodations for smaller practices—such as many urgent care centers—if there’s any hope of it succeeding, according to comments the Urgent Care Association (UCA) submitted to CMS. In its current form, the Merit-Based Incentive Payments System (MIPS) would require some clinicians to get an exemption from MIPS by participating in an Advanced Alternative Payment Model or …

UCA Webinar: How to Maximize Marketing to Millennials

Recent data reported here illustrate the challenges—and advantages, given their evolving perception of the healthcare marketplace—of reaching patients in the “millennial” demographic (defined by Pew Research as those who turned ages 15–34 in 2015). Chris Behan will draw on 20 years of experience in internet healthcare marketing to offer 5 Tips for Engaging the Millennial Patient Online, a free webinar to be hosted by the Urgent Care Association (UCA) on Thursday, June 23, 1–2 p.m. …

UCA Webinar: Patient Engagement Promotes Profits (But, How?)

Patient engagement has gone from a vague concept to a key factor in running a successful urgent care clinic. But what does it actually mean—and more importantly, how do you ensure that it’s helping your business and not just so much wheel-spinning in pursuit of the latest trend in managing businesses of any kind? Marketing guru John Sung Kim will help you answer these questions as they apply to your operations during a live webinar …

Data Show More Institutions Getting into the Urgent Care Market

Hospital chains and insurance companies continue to invest in urgent care centers at an ever-increasing pace, while also forging partnerships with independently owned clinics, according to a report from Merchant Medicine. The perception is that as Americans live to an older age—and stay active longer while doing it—they want more convenient care for nonemergent injuries while maintaining a relationship with institutions they’ve come to trust. Current data from the Urgent Care Association (UCA) show that …