Practice Management
With thew news of the expected retirement of Chief Executive Officer Lou Ellen Horwitz, the Urgent Care Association (UCA) has announced the search for its next executive leader. In 2020, Horwitz transitioned away from the UCA board of directors and out of semi-retirement to return to the UCA’s top leadership role. She previously served as the association’s executive director from 2006 to 2012. Throw your hat in the ring: No doubt the succession plans will …
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A couple in Texas spent more than an hour locked in an urgent care center after the staff left for the day. According to local news reports, Austin Jennings and his partner, Christina Tirado, went to the Mont Belvieu Urgent Care for treatment for Jennings’ flu symptoms. They arrived for a 6PM appointment and were directed to an exam room at 6:30PM where Jennings started a breathing treatment. When he opened the exam room door 20 minutes later, a …
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The Department of Justice has launched an antitrust investigation into UnitedHealth Group, focusing on how the UnitedHealthcare insurance division influences its own Optum health-services arm, according to the Wall Street Journal. Optum’s portfolio includes physician groups and other providers, and the business line employs a total physician force of about 90,000, making it the largest physician employer in the country. The investigation is digging into how Optum’s acquisitions of physician groups impact competition, particularly in …
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A 42-year-old man presents to urgent care with knee pain. He says the pain started when he was playing soccer, just as he kicked a ball toward the goal. Ultimately, he had to leave the game because of the pain. View the image taken and consider what your diagnosis and next steps would be. Resolution of the case is described on the following page.
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Omicron versus Flu & RSV – Which is Most Dangerous for Children? Take Home Point: In this study, hospitalization rates were highest for patients with RSV than Omicron (COVID-19) in all age groups of children. Citation: Hedberg P, Abdel-Halem L, Valik J, et. al. Outcomes of Pediatric SARS-CoV-2 Omicron Infection vs Influenza and Respiratory Syncytial Virus Infections. JAMA Pediatr. 2023 Dec 26: e235734. doi: 10.1001/jamapediatrics.2023.5734 Relevance: With increasing availability for respiratory pathogen testing, it is …
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Francesca Cocchiarale, DO; Alexa Bailey, MS-3; Michael Weinstock, MD Urgent Message: Pulmonary embolism can be frequently missed as a diagnosis because it can present with a variety of signs and symptoms. Understanding clinical decision rules and myriad presentations can help urgent care providers determine when patients benefit from immediate referral to an emergency department. Citation: Cocchiarale F, Bailey A, Weinstock M. An Atypical Cause of Fever and Confusion: A Case Report of Delayed Pulmonary Embolism …
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A 55-year-old male with a history of heart failure presents to the urgent care with dyspnea. An ECG is obtained. 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.
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Members of the Urgent Care Association (UCA) get a lot of “free” stuff—resources, checklists, podcasts, job searches, magazines, webinars, templates, plans, and so on. But this year at the Urgent Care Convention we are going one better (two, actually). I’m talking about our new “Ask a Consultant” sessions and our Quality Programs Center, both of which essentially provide the space for free consulting (yes, free). The Ask a Consultant sessions feature top, vetted consultants who …
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Urgent Message: A supervising physician can be named in a lawsuit for malpractice against a nurse practitioner or physician assistant, however, there are steps supervising physicians can take to protect themselves against such actions. Alan A. Ayers, MBA, MAcc In urgent care settings, physicians are often responsible for supervising and overseeing a team of other healthcare employees, including nurse practitioners (NPs), physician assistants (PAs), and medical assistants (MAs). If any member of this team is …
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A 53-year-old female with no significant past medical history presents to the urgent care with progressive fatigue for several weeks. An ECG is obtained. 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.
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