Journal of Urgent Care Medicine

Survey Says Patients May Be Slow to Understand Virtual Care

A new survey seems to indicate that it may take a long time—or more resources than you might think—for patients to understand their options for virtual care. Two large health systems rolled out their plans to offer virtual care in Iowa more than a year ago, but most residents still don’t get it. That’s bad news for the plans, but it also means the intended goal of offering virtual care in the first place—namely, slowing …

Original Research: Early Diabetes Screening in the Urgent Care, Part 2

Urgent message: Various methods have been suggested for screening for type 2 diabetes mellitus in the asymptomatic population, although more consensus about the best approach, especially in settings outside primary care, is required. The usefulness of a diabetes-screening pathway for the early detection of undiagnosed diabetes was assessed in a quality-improvement study of a convenience sample from an urgent care center. How this article/column helps you: by analyzing findings on how screening all adults for …

Bringing Out the Vote Can Help Bring in the Patients

Many local newspapers, magazines and radio stations hand out “people’s choice awards,” in which individuals in the community nominate and vote for their favorite businesses in various categories. The Rockford (Illinois) Register-Star holds an annual Best of the Rock River Valley promotion, for example, in which readers vote for their favorite hospital, chiropractor, dentist, family practice, and emergency room, among other categories. Supporters of businesses like the Dogwood Pet Resort are encouraged to spread the word …

Urgent Care’s Voice is Heard on Medicare Coding Changes

The Urgent Care Association (UCA) has officially filed comments with the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS), supporting a proposal to modify the “24/7” access requirements for providers who plan to bill Medicare for Chronic Care Management (CCM) codes. According to UCA, the new language will allow primary care providers “to more easily meet the CCM billing requirements if they contract with urgent care centers for their patient’s acute care needs, including evenings and …

‘There’s Profitability in Affordability’ for Urgent Care

The path to ongoing growth in the urgent care industry is paved with the dollars it saves payers and patients, according to MedExpress Chief Medical Officer Thomas Pangburn, MD. While insurers would likely disagree, Pangburn says that includes the advent of the Affordable Care Act (ACA, or “Obamacare”). Here’s some of the rationale he shared with the Pittsburgh Tribune Review : “With the Affordable Care Act and changes in the healthcare system, more and more …

Missouri Demands Medicaid Copay in the ED—But Not in Urgent Care

Medicaid patients in Missouri will have to fork over an $8 copay before receiving care in the emergency room, thanks to a new bill that aims to reduce overusage in the ED. The bill allows for free visits to urgent care centers, however. Senate Bill 608 also gives physician offices the right to assess Medicaid patients a $5 penalty if they make a habit of missing appointments without 24-hours’ notice; miss an appointment once and …

If School Nurses Provide Virtual Urgent Care, Who Pays?

On the surface, it sounds like a great way to see children getting the care they need as soon as possible. However, questions abound about the feasibility of a new program that gives students in Greene County (Tennessee) Schools access to virtual urgent care under a partnership between Niswonger Children’s Hospital and First Assist Urgent Care. Basically, the Niswonger Virtual Health Clinic offers students online access to doctors and nurse practitioners within their school nurse’s …

Four Keys to Collecting Higher Payments in the Age of Patient Consumerism

URGENT MESSAGE: Patient expectations have changed with the evolving healthcare landscape. Urgent care operators need to keep pace in adapting their own approaches in order to collect the highest possible percentage of payments—and to survive. Randy Blue, MEd, CRCR is an Executive Director with HealthiPASS. He has over 25 years of experience in sales and marketing, specifically in the healthcare space. With high-deductible insurance plans on the rise, patients are increasingly expected to pay for …

Urgent Care Workflows Defy Dire Headlines for Other Settings

Recent headlines make the problem crystal clear—“For Each Hour of Clinical Time, Docs Spend 2 on Desk Work” from MedPage Today is a good example—but they don’t tell the whole story, at least where urgent care is concerned. The current hubbub stems from a study published in Annals of Internal Medicine that reveals physicians in ambulatory care settings spend almost 2 hours on clerical tasks for every single hour they spend with patients. Even in …

Making Urgent Care Child-Friendly Can ‘Bear’ New Patients—and Profits

News flash: Some kids don’t like to go to the doctor. Which means parents sometimes have to decide between dragging an unwilling child into your clinic and weighing whether their child’s symptoms really do merit immediate attention. Neither outcome is optimal. An urgent care clinic in Bellmore, NY has hit on an inspired way to make the doctor’s office a little less intimidating, though. Northwell Health-GoHealth Urgent Care recently invited families to bring their child …