Practice Management
A 57-year-old man presents to urgent care with progressive dyspnea for 1 month. The patient has a history of unmanaged hypertension. View the ECG captured above and consider what your diagnosis and next steps would be. Resolution of the case is described on the next page.
Read More
Scott Prysi, MD For the last 30 years, Urgent Care centers have been transforming healthcare by moving the patient to the center of care—that means serving patients with urgent medical problems with extended hours and onsite X-ray and lab services when and where they want it. We operated throughout the pandemic when virtually all other healthcare access points closed, and we came out stronger with new relationships with local hospitals and health departments as well …
Read More
Ivan Koay MBChB, MRCS, FRNZCUC, MD Optimal team dynamics play a key role in productivity and enterprise success. The importance of a well-functioning team is evident every day in urgent care centers (UCCs). Increasingly, rapid turnover of UC staff is becoming normative, and changes in team composition can have significant impact on how well a team functions. Whether from daily shift changes or staff joining or leaving the organization, such changes require adaptations both for …
Read More
Urgent Message: Mycoplasma species, most notably Mycoplasma genitalium are an increasingly recognized etiology of persistent urethral discomfort and non-gonococcal urethritis in males. These infections are commonly asymptomatic and can also have significant consequences in females. Antibiotic resistance is a common concern and treatment recommendations differ significantly from those for other sexually transmitted infections. Joseph Something, PA-C; Greg Smithers, PA-C; Ina Park, MD, MS Citation: Something J, Smithers G, Park I. A Review of Genital Mycoplasma …
Read More
Urgent Message: Boxer’s fractures are among the most common hand fractures and should be suspected in cases of closed fist injury. Additionally, a laceration that accompanies a boxer’s fracture may represent a fight bite, which should be treated to reduce the risk of infection. Jennifer Hicks, DO; Bradley Strauch, MD Citation: Hicks J, Strauch WB. Urgent Care Evaluation and Management of Boxer’s Fractures. J Urgent Care Med. 2024; 18(8):32-36 Editor’s Note: While the images presented …
Read More
As a key moment in the Urgent Care Association (UCA) Convention in Las Vegas last week, members elected a new board, led by Board President Scott Prysi, MD. The full list of board members is available on the UCA website. Additionally, the College of Urgent Care Medicine (CUCM) elected its new board members: Lindsey Fish, MD (also JUCM images editor); Roger Hicks, MD, FCUCM; Joshua Russell, MD, MSc, FACEP, FCUCM (also JUCM editor in chief); …
Read More
Workers went on an anticipated strike last week over ongoing dissatisfaction related to insufficient staffing and long wait times for patients in the emergency department (ED) at Ascension St. John Hospital in Detroit. On April 18, union physicians, physician assistants, and nurse practitioners walked out after their good-faith negotiations failed to result in an agreement, according to local news reports. The clinicians had formed the union less than a year ago to advocate for improved …
Read More
Several female patients have reported sexual assaults to police in Montgomery County, Pennsylvania, after visiting a Carbon Health Urgent Care location in the area, leading to charges against a medical assistant (MA), according to Philly Voice. The MA was arrested, and authorities allege he took photos and videos of unsuspecting women, posed as a nurse, performed physical exams he was not authorized to do, and told a female patient to undress while he was in …
Read More
Lawmakers in Alaska have approved a bill to legalize subscription-based healthcare in the state. If signed into law by the governor, providers would be able to offer care to patients who pay a monthly fee without leveraging any insurance benefits, according to Anchorage Daily News. The bill includes a provision requiring subscription-based clinics to continue accepting Medicare patients and the uninsured. The provision is meant to address the shortage of providers willing to accept patients …
Read More
A new study demonstrates that the benefits of clinician empathy toward patients can be even more effective than some therapies in treating chronic low-back pain, as published in JAMA Network Open. Low-back pain affects up to 85% of the US population, and researchers found that treatment from physicians whom the patients considered “very empathic” was associated with better outcomes at the end of 1 year than treatment from “slightly empathic” physicians. Each of the 1,470 …
Read More