Journal of Urgent Care Medicine

WannaCry Ransomware Attack Should Make Urgent Care Operators Wanna Take Action

In the wake of the recent WannaCry ransomware attacks that left hospitals shaken—and showed there’s no such thing as being too prepared for cyber threats—the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services is urging hospitals and large healthcare providers to step up their own security measures. However, every healthcare operation, including single-unit urgent care centers, should increase their vigilance for and institute practices to guard against such attacks. HHS recommends that all workers in healthcare …

What Does a Trump Presidency Mean for Urgent Care Operators?

With a chief executive who’s used to being a CEO, what changes can urgent care operators expect in their role as employers once Donald Trump takes office in January? The law firm of Brennan, Manna & Diamond predicts a pro-employer climate overall in a Client Alert it issued this week, based partly on expected appointment of several Supreme Court justices likely to be more conservative than their retiring predecessors. That will be most evident in …

Your Nondiscrimination Statements Have to Be Posted by October 17

Urgent care operators—and all healthcare providers who receive federal funds (eg, reimbursement under government programs like Medicaid or plans that take part in the Affordable Care Act)—are required by federal law to post nondiscrimination notices in public view by October 17. The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Office of Civil Rights says physicians must take “appropriate initial and continuing steps” to notify patients of certain information/services related to nondiscrimination. HHS has posted …

Urgent Care Operators Look to Telehealth to See More Patients

Six months after it started offering video visits through Doctor on Demand and American Well, UnitedHealthcare says it expects to “see” 20 million patients that way by the end of 2016. More than half of the visits, to date, have been for respiratory issues. Statistically, the average user is a 31-year-old female. UnitedHealthcare says the vast majority of employers it covers like the idea, but have concerns about how many of their workers will actually …