Practice Management
The 40th annual report on the state of the health of Americans from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention provides insights on the impact of changes in the healthcare landscape, including the years that saw urgent care grow from the “doc in a box” (in the public’s perception, anyway) to the sophisticated, integral part of the healthcare system that it is recognized as today. The CDC’s Health, United States, 2016 reports on long-term trends …
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Urgent care operator American Family Care (AFC) has inked an investment deal worth $1 billion with the private equity and real estate firm American Development Partners. The funds will be put to work expanding AFC’s presence around the country, with the expectation that 300 more franchises will open under the AFC banner (currently, there are 170). AFC is quick to note that the company will not change hands, and that it will continue to invest …
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Think about the last promotional pen you used, or the sticky-pad you wrote on with it. It’s likely you don’t remember where you picked up either of them (even if it was the same place). Now, imagine that you used a tick remover that was given to you to remove a blood-sucking parasite from your child’s arm. You probably know where that one came from. PhysicianOne Urgent Care hit on that very idea when it …
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The dog days of summer are all the more brutal for the seasonal workers lugging tourists’ bags, sitting in the sun at the top of the water slide, and keeping the greens green on the golf course. Many of them may even be away from home and staying in employee housing. Where will they turn when they need immediate care? Your urgent care center would be a great place to start—provided you’ve laid the groundwork …
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Urgent care centers might be wise to follow the lead of the many nonhealthcare businesses that have recognized the value of ensuring that lesbian, gay, bi, trans, questioning (LGBTQ) consumers are welcomed and treated appropriately. Many have invested heavily in marketing and advertising that gets that message across, in fact. Aside from the ethics of ensuring that all patients are treated with dignity, respect, and the appropriate care, a survey by Community Marketing shows that …
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The University of Colorado Cancer Center in Aurora, CO has quantified just how much urgent care can contribute to the overall health of patients with cancer—and it’s considerable. The Clinical Assessment and Rapid Evaluation (CARE) Clinic within the cancer center helped keep 21% of cancer patients out of the emergency room, generating over $176,000 in revenue over a period of 7 months. There’s no telling how many potentially serious complications were prevented by saving immunocompromised …
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We all know emergency room waiting areas are choked with patients who could be treated just as well—and in less time for less money—in an urgent care center. That makes it all the more difficult for patients who really need to be there to be seen in a reasonable amount of time. Now Thomas Health System in Charleston, WV, thinks it has found a way to make people think twice about heading to the ED …
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Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services has broadened the definition of “small providers” as it applies to the Medicare Access and CHIP Reauthorization Act of 2015, to the extent that physician practices with less than $90,000 in Medicare revenue or fewer than 200 unique Medicare patients per year would be exempt from having to comply with MACRA. Between this new standard and the one proposed for next year, the move will exclude roughly 834,000 more …
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The Affordable Care Act—also known as the ACA, or “Obamacare”—famously drove many insurers out of state exchanges due to the difficulty they had in turning a profit through their participation. President Trump says the plan he’d like to see in place would be both superior and less expensive than his predecessor’s. Humana isn’t planning on sticking around to find out, however, and has announced it will not be participating in any individual insurance market after …
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Urgent message: Statistics indicate there is an epidemic of mental, physical, and emotional burnout of employees in the United States, painting a troubling picture that urgent care operators must proactively manage in order to assure continued patient satisfaction. Many of us have been there: getting out of bed in the morning feels like a monumental task. The thought of another work day evokes an exasperated sigh. Previously productive shifts give way to distracted clock-watching. Patience …
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