Practice Management
Urgent message: It’s human nature that some of the patients, employees, and vendors urgent care providers and operators deal with on a daily basis will twist the truth to gain an advantage. Key for urgent care leaders, who need correct information to make good decisions, is to recognize when you’re being lied to and to have a rational, calculated approach for responding. Alan A. Ayers, MBA, MAcc is Chief Executive Officer at Velocity Urgent Care …
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Urgent message: A manager’s words are important to employees, which is why sensitivity is required to avoid small talk being acted upon as unintended suggestions or demands. Alan A. Ayers, MBA, MAcc is Chief Executive Officer of Velocity Urgent Care and is Practice Management Editor of The Journal of Urgent Care Medicine. When most people think of wasted time at the office, their mind automatically goes to an employee sitting behind a desk browsing the …
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Urgent message: Once a rarity in the urgent care setting, point-of-care ultrasound imaging capabilities are on the rise in our industry. Falling prices and increased portability provide new opportunities to manage more patients on site, facilitating better outcomes and higher patient satisfaction for many. James Hicks, MD The Case An 85-year-old resident of an assisted-living facility presents to the urgent care center in early autumn with complaints of wheezing. Staff are concerned that she …
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Urgent message: In today’s world of flying accusations of personal misconduct, having a clearly defined (and followed) chaperone policy helps protect both providers and patients. Alan A. Ayers, MBA, MAcc is Chief Executive Officer of Velocity Urgent Care and is Practice Management Editor for The Journal of Urgent Care Medicine. In light of the recent explosion of sexual assault and abuse allegations being made across the country, many medical practices have turned to chaperones as …
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Urgent Message: In order for urgent care to meet the on-demand healthcare needs of the community, it must have a plan to continue operations in the face of unpredictable service disruptions due to manmade or natural disaster. Alan A. Ayers, MBA, MAcc is Chief Executive Officer of Velocity Urgent Care and is Practice Management Editor of The Journal of Urgent Care Medicine. From hurricanes to earthquakes to power outages, natural and manmade disasters are on …
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Urgent message: While the term “workaholic” has traditionally carried the stigma of addiction and resulting health concerns, new evidence suggests immersing yourself in work isn’t necessary a bad thing, if it’s something you love. Alan A. Ayers, MBA, MAcc is Chief Executive Officer of Velocity Urgent Care, LLC and is Practice Management Editor of The Journal of Urgent Care Medicine. Picture the workaholic in your life. We all know one. What comes to mind? Probably …
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Urgent message: Paid time-off (PTO) is a common benefit among urgent care providers, but when urgent care operators benefit from an “always on” culture that is open evenings, weekends, and holidays, there may be times when employees are unable to utilize their PTO and expect some kind of accommodation for sacrificing this benefit back to the company. Alan A. Ayers, MBA, MAcc is Chief Executive Officer of Velocity Urgent Care and is Practice Management Editor …
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Urgent message: Social media strengthens friendships through the sharing of life experiences and common interests, but is it really a good idea for providers or administrators in an urgent care practice to become quite so personal with employees (and vice-versa)? Do you want to be my friend? For children, this is a simple question. Kids are able to form friendships over simple, common bonds, like a shared love of the playground slide or an animated …
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Urgent message: In increasingly competitive labor markets, ongoing success requires keeping your best people happy. A “stay interview” is one mechanism that can be used to identify at-risk employees and learn what you can do to keep them from leaving. Alan A. Ayers, MBA, MAcc is Chief Executive Officer of Velocity Urgent Care and is Practice Management Editor of The Journal of Urgent Care Medicine. The recent Gallup State of the American Workplace 2017 Report …
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Urgent message: Convenient, quality, same-day care is one of the hallmarks of the urgent care setting. Many operators have moved to offer preregistration to speed visits along, but the question of whether an online appointment system would be effective in further improving efficiency in visits has not been studied previously. Introduction The aim of our study was to evaluate how the implementation of an online appointment scheduling system would affect wait times and throughput in …
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