Practice Management
Local media around the country are starting to report people being injured moving down the street—most often on foot, but some drivers, too—while distracted by the game Pokémon Go. Yes, some of them might end up in an urgent care center, but the most important thing for operators to be aware of is that Niantic, the game’s maker, plans to offer local advertising opportunities soon. The location-based game for mobile devices tracks the player’s movements …
Read MoreUrgent message: Government financial enticements for whistleblowing have resulted in a sharp rise in employee reports against their health-care employers. Urgent care centers can protect themselves by identifying potentially litigious employees, having a wellpublicized compliance program, and by establishing internal reporting procedures. Introduction In recent years, there has been a dramatic rise in the number of whistle-blower lawsuits in the health-care industry. Because these lawsuits reap huge payouts for the federal government, whistle-blowers are monetarily enticed to report their employers to government agencies rather …
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URGENT MESSAGE: As urgent care developers seek prime real estate for their medical centers, bank branches that have been vacated due to mergers may provide a high-traffic, high-visibility solution, although there are practical challenges with converting a former bank branch to an urgent care center. Alan A. Ayers, MBA, MAcc is Practice Management Editor of JUCM—The Journal of Urgent Care Medicine, a member of the Board of Directors of the Urgent Care Association of America, …
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The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s warnings that the 2015–2016 might end up being late, and not just light, are coming to fruition from coast to coast—with deadly consequences for some. New data highlight the need for urgent care providers to continue pushing flu shots and to be prepared for more patients with flu-like symptoms. Current flu activity has been called “widespread” in 37 states, with physician visits for flu-like symptoms continuing to rise; …
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The past five years have been another good stretch for the urgent care marketplace: new data from Accenture, a management consulting firm, show that visits to urgent care clinics increased 19 percent from 2010 to 2015 (projected)—equating to 176.8 million visits this year alone. By comparison, the retail clinic sector (which offers a more limited menu of services than the typical urgent care center) is also growing, expecting to receive 18.8 million patient visits this …
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In & Out Urgent Care in New Orleans is the latest urgent care center to enter the world of clinical trials. Partnering with a company called Urgent Care Clinical Trials, the center is studying treatment of shingles (herpes zoster). It’s the first trial the center has participated in. In addition to advancing the practice of urgent care and available remedies for disease states studied, participation in clinical trials can be a new source of revenue …
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