Journal of Urgent Care Medicine

Recurrent Neuropsychiatric Symptoms in a Patient With Repeated Exposure to Metronidazole: A Case Report

Urgent Message: Metronidazole, even during short courses of therapy, can result in disabling neuropsychiatric symptoms. It is important for clinicians to be knowledgeable about these relatively uncommon but serious adverse medication reactions. Faren Clum, MD; Joshua Russell, MD, MSc, ELS, FCUCM, FACEP Citation: Clum F, Russell J. Recurrent Neuropsychiatric Symptoms in a Patient With Repeated Exposure to Metronidazole: A Case Report. J Urgent Care Med. 2025; 19(7):37-41 Abstract Introduction: Metronidazole is a commonly prescribed antibiotic. …

Urgent Care Evaluation and Management of Spontaneous Pneumothorax

Urgent Message: Spontaneous pneumothorax (PTX) occurs unpredictably. Many patients with spontaneous pneumothorax may initially present to urgent care, so it is important for clinicians to include it in the differential diagnosis of patients presenting with acute chest pain and/or dyspnea. Rarely, a spontaneous pneumothorax can progress to a tension pneumothorax if the diagnosis is delayed. Vrunda Patel, BS; Kevin Radecki, MD Citation: Patel V, Radecki, K. Urgent Care Evaluation and Management of Spontaneous Pneumothorax. J …

The Search

As many of you know, early last year we announced my plans to retire as CEO of the Urgent Care Association (UCA). While that’s still happening, I wanted to share why filling the role is taking such a long time. Hiring the CEO is one of the most important responsibilities of your elected Board of Directors, and it’s a responsibility they each take very seriously. They are committed to getting the best leader possible to …

Does Urgent Care Require 7-Day Operations?

While patients and payers may expect urgent care to be available 7-days a week, approximately 20% of urgent care centers are closed on Saturdays, and approximately 30% are closed on Sundays, according to a February 2025 analysis of 14,301 centers by National Urgent Care Realty and Urgent Care Consultants. Of the centers open 7 days a week, 24% open and close at the same time every day. Otherwise, centers that are open weekends are likely …

New Oral Antibiotic for UTI May Help Address Drug Resistance

A new oral antibiotic, gepotidacin, was approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) this week for the treatment of uncomplicated urinary tract infections (UTIs). According to the manufacturer, GSK plc, gepotidacin is a first-in-class antibiotic with a novel mechanism that inhibits bacterial DNA replication to treat female adults and pediatric patients (≥12 years, ≥40 kg) with uncomplicated UTIs. It’s designed to target several of the most common UTI-causing bacteria such as E. coli and …

Measles Outbreak Could Drag on For a Year: Forecast

The surging measles outbreak—now spanning 18 states as of March 20—may continue for about a year, according to health experts in a CNN report. Weekly totals reached 378 confirmed cases nationwide. By comparison, the 2024 total case count for the entire year was 285. Although 95% of the current cases are in patients who were unvaccinated or had unknown vaccination status, a few were reported in people who say they had at least 1 dose …

First-Line Antibiotic Treatment For Chlamydia and Gonorrhea Underutilized

Too few patients are receiving recommended chlamydia and gonorrhea treatment in primary care settings, according to a study published in the Annals of Family Medicine analyzing electronic health records from 2018 to 2022. Among 6,678 confirmed chlamydia cases and 2,206 confirmed gonorrhea cases studied, 75.3% and 69.6%, respectively, received treatment. Treatment rates were higher among women than men (chlamydia: 78.4% vs 67.2%; gonorrhea: 78.9% vs 51.4%). Additionally, younger individuals and those with coinfections were more …

The Quality of Urgent Care Depends on our Commitment to HOLA Expertise

At least once a month, a friend or family member will text me—often for the first time in years—to share the summary of a recent visit to their local urgent care (UC). While these texts are universally unsolicited, I genuinely love receiving them. The unfiltered perspective cannot be matched by even the most sophisticated electronic medical record analytics or patient experience reports. This is because the stories they share with me, while anecdotal, provide a …

‘Med-tail’ Storefronts Complement Urgent Care Sites

In the latest iteration among floundering commercial retail spaces, landlords are courting healthcare tenants to fill empty storefronts that used to be occupied by department stores and boutiques. Most existing retail spaces have convenient neighborhood locations with enough local traffic to encourage a visit. According to a recent LA Times report, a network of dental offices in California has found early success with this emerging “med-tail” (medical retail) model, treating both scheduled and walk-in patients. …

Ohio X-Ray Regulations Shackle Urgent Care Growth

Most of the legislative issues that affect urgent care operations are governed at the state level, particularly provider scope-of-practice laws. A recent guest column in the Columbus Dispatch by Alan Ayers, MBA, MAcc, President of Urgent Care Consultants and Senior Editor of JUCM, makes the case for urgent care’s untapped potential in providing affordable access to care in rural areas. Kentucky and Indiana are witnessing growth in rural urgent care, but Ohio is lagging because …

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