Practice Management
Use of nirsevimab was found to be 89% effective against acute respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) infection and 93% effective against hospitalization among children younger than age 5 in a recent study published in JAMA Pediatrics. The study examined data in 7 academic pediatric medical centers in the United States from 2017 to 2020 and data from the 2023-2024 RSV season. It was only in July 2023—right before the 2023-2024 RSV season—that nirsevimab first became available. …
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A new study in The Lancet estimates the prevalence of overweight and obesity in the United States while also forecasting the trends for America’s long-term future. Researchers found that by 2050, the total number of children and adolescents with overweight and obesity will reach 43.1 million (37.2–47.4), and the total number of adults with overweight and obesity will reach 213 million (202–221). That means a projected 1 in 3 adolescents and 2 in 3 adults …
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Although the number of sexually transmitted infections (STIs) remains high, the epidemic could be slowing, according to the latest report from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). More than 2.4 million cases of STIs were reported in 2023 with syphilis cases increasing by just 1% after years of double-digit increases. There was a downward trend in congenital syphilis with just a 3% increase for the year, compared with 30% annual increases in recent …
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Xpress Wellness has acquired 3 new urgent care clinic locations in Wichita Falls, Granbury, and Stephenville, Texas, according to the company press release. The Affordacare Urgent Care clinics now added to its portfolio will be rebranded under the Integrity Urgent Care flag starting next month. Integrity Urgent Care clinics also offer occupational medicine services and virtual care options. Larger portfolio: With this transaction, Xpress Wellness now operates 58 clinics across Texas, Oklahoma, and Kansas. See …
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A new study out of France published in Clinical Microbiology and Infection estimates the prevalence of long COVID while considering the fact that there is no universal definition of the condition. Researchers looked at several variations of long COVID characteristics to determine its prevalence. Of 10,615 adults sampled from August-November 2022, 54.5% reported SARS-CoV-2 infection with as many as 13.4% having long COVID, depending on which definition was used. When using the World Health Organization …
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On March 10, the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) issued a letter to the entire healthcare industry regarding the massive cyberattack on UnitedHealth Group’s (UHG) Change Healthcare unit, which started on February 21. Change processes 15 billion healthcare transactions annually and has a connection to 1 in every 3 patient records, according to HHS. Its system is a clearing house for a number of critical services, such as revenue cycle, pharmacy, and clinical …
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American Family Care, operator of urgent care, primary care, and occupational medicine clinics, announced the closing of an equity investment by Lorient Capital, a firm that has a number of healthcare investments in its portfolio. Lorient Capital officials said in a press release that American Family Care has dozens of new locations in the pipeline across the United States, and its financial backing and experience will support ongoing growth strategies. Founded in 1982, American Family …
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JUCM News readers may have noticed more items than ever informing you of moves by various retail drugstores and big-box stores to draw business away from urgent care and primary care practices. Most recently, we told you about Walgreens’ and Walmart’s’ latest attempts. If you haven’t been keeping score, an article just published by Becker’s Hospital Review notes that a grand total of 4,233 outlets have opened up—still just a fraction of the number of …
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Georgia Urgent Care in Milton, VT just restored their capability to offer x-rays and bone-density imaging. A new nurse practitioner is taking the next step in her career by joining the team at Sanford Health in Bemidji, MN. And Susan B. Allen Memorial Hospital’s El Dorado Urgent Care center is now going to be seeing patients on the hospital campus. We know this because articles alerting the public to these events appeared in the St. …
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As regular JUCM News readers know, the May 11 expiration of federal, pandemic-related emergency declarations will have broad implications for urgent care (and the healthcare industry in general). One that we haven’t touched on is the impact on telehealth. As COVID-19 limited the ability for patients to visit brick-and-mortar practices, standards on remote prescribing were relaxed so more providers in more widespread locations could prescribe for patients they didn’t examine in person. An opinion piece …
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