Journal of Urgent Care Medicine

Delicious Relief from Functional Dyspepsia

A Thai study published in BMJ Evidence-Based Medicine concluded that curcumin, a natural compound derived from turmeric, had comparable efficacy to omeprazole in treating functional dyspepsia. Baseline dyspepsia scores were comparable between the groups participating in this randomized, double-blind, controlled trial of 151 patients. They were divided into those receiving curcumin alone, those receiving omeprazole alone, and those receiving curcumin plus omeprazole. Participants in the combination group took two 250 mg curcumin capsules, four times a …

Obesity Prevalence Still on the Rise

New population data released by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reveals a concerning increase in adult obesity prevalence, with 22 states now reporting rates at or above 35%. By comparison, 19 states were in that position in 2021. The upward trend is concerning because just a decade ago, no state had obesity prevalence rates above 35%. In the data presentation, the District of Columbia was the only place in the nation with …

UCs Recognized for Behavioral Health Awareness

Industry advocates are encouraging healthcare leaders to take a hard look at their licensing, credentialing, and privileging applications and rewrite any questions that could perpetuate stigma around behavioral health issues. The Dr. Lorna Breen Heroes’ Foundation, a nonprofit that aims to reduce burnout and safeguard health professionals’ wellbeing, recently recognized 59 urgent care organizations and 75 hospitals among its WellBeing First Champions—organizations that have made application updates consistent with the foundation’s recommendations. What matters most: …

WHO Wants the World to Skip the Salt

The World Health Organization released a detailed report on high blood pressure, emphasizing the condition as a leading global risk factor for death and disability. Hypertension affects 1 in 3 adults worldwide, often leading to stroke, heart attack, heart failure, and kidney damage. The report suggests that if all countries improve their hypertension treatment protocols to fall in line with high-performing nations, the efforts could prevent 76 million deaths, 120 million strokes, 79 million heart …

Mercy Health Building New UC Centers

Mercy Health, a hospital system based in Cincinnati, Ohio, recently opened four new urgent care centers, and more expansion is planned for 2024, according to Becker’s Hospital Review. Mercy operates five hospitals and employs 35,000 workers across Ohio and Kentucky. Seems about right: Although the pace of new site growth in urgent care slowed a bit in the past year, expansion trends show consistent upward trajectories across the country. See the 2023 list of top …

Researchers Develop Mpox Point of Care Test

Last spring, a global outbreak of mpox (formerly known as “monkey pox”) spread to 110 countries. Cases in the United States as of last month have reached a total of 30,767, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Meanwhile, researchers have found that a newly developed point-of-care assay for the rapid detection of the mpox virus has the potential for use in “low-resource and remote settings,” allowing for rapid point-of-care diagnosis. The results …

Parents Accidentally Double Dose Kids’ ADHD Meds

Researchers at Nationwide Children’s Hospital in Ohio found a disturbing number of preventable mistakes made by parents and caregivers involving medications given to children for attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). The most common error (54%) was accidental double dosing. What’s more concerning is that the rate of errors in giving kids ADHD medications has risen significantly over the past two decades. From 2000 through 2021, errors increased by almost 300%. Kids between the ages 6 and …

Urgent Care Pay to Start at $25 Per Hour Minimum in California

A bill that has found its way through the California Legislature aims to raise minimum wages for healthcare workers. Those who work in urgent care centers are specifically called out in measures included in SB 525. Governor Gavin Newsome has until October 14 to sign or veto the bill. According to Cal Matters, the amended version of the policy has the support of the state’s hospital association, employers, and labor groups. How it rolls out: …

Some Patients Wait 5.5 Hours in the ED Before Giving Up

About 3% of patients leave emergency departments (EDs) without being seen, according to a federal data set that was summarized in Becker’s Hospital Review. State information analyzed by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) demonstrates the variability in wait times in the ED before patients leave. Patients in North Dakota walk out after a median wait time of 108 minutes—the shortest time span. By comparison, patients in Washington, D.C., wait a median of …

Retail Competition Makes UC’s Path Forward Clear

New state laws have expanded the scope of practice for pharmacists, allowing consumers to access a longer list of health services at their local retail shop. Walmart, Walgreens Boots Alliance, and CVS Health are embracing the opportunities, aiming to boost their healthcare revenue from privately insured populations. According to a Bloomberg article, each of the retailers is rolling out everything from on-site symptom evaluation and testing to medication prescribing and treatment—all delivered by pharmacists—in 10 …