Journal of Urgent Care Medicine

How To Add a Personal Touch to Your Urgent Care Practice

Urgent message: Traditional marketing and advertising only goes so far in building an urgent care practice. That’s why developing personal relationships with patients, staff, and other stakeholders is key to differentiating your practice, driving patient loyalty that results in repeat visits, and spurring positive word-of-mouth in your community. 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 Whoever said …

The Power of the First Call: Building Command Telephone Presence

Urgent message: After an urgent care center spends thousands of dollars on marketing and advertising to raise awareness, it should be fully prepared to “welcome” patients whose first interaction with the practice is often by telephone. 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. As a volume-driven practice model, urgent care must utilize a number of expensive marketing …

Preventing Medication Errors in the Urgent Care Center

Urgent message: Medications can heal, but they can also be deadly. That’s why protocols and controls, supported by rigorous and frequent documentation, are needed to reduce the possibility of medication errors in the urgent care setting. The most recent 10-year study on medical errors by the Institute of Medicine of the National Academies (sponsored by The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services) found that medication errors are by far the most common medical errors, harming …

Preventing Sexual Harassment in the Urgent Care Workplace

Urgent message: Recent high-profile sexual harassment allegations in Hollywood and Washington beg the question as to whether urgent care operators should proactively adopt a policy addressing sexual harassment. Alan Ayers, MBA, MAcc is Chief Executive Officer of Velocity Urgent Care and is Practice Management Editor of The Journal of Urgent Care Medicine. The #MeToo movement has been sweeping the nation as of late, impacting Hollywood and Washington, DC in immense ways. However, the push against …

The Dangers of Sitting Down on the Job

Urgent message: Prolonged sitting has been called the “new smoking” causing a host of diseases, making it a concern for both employees and employers. 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. Think about your typical workday for a moment: What does it look like? You sit at your desk for a significant period of time, of course. …

Beware of Digital Distractions in the Workplace

Urgent message: While the launch of handheld technologies, email, messaging, and social media brought an immediate increase in productivity through the ability to access information instantly, over time these modern wonders have proven to become a distraction in the workplace. 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. Whether it’s email, social media, or internet searches, the modern workplace …

Patient-Centered Urgent Care is Our Objective

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 Urgent message: Consumers drawn by the convenience, affordability, and service provided by urgent care centers continue to fuel industry-wide growth. Successful urgent care practices embrace a patient-centered delivery model that appropriately delegates tasks, focuses on respectful communication, and continually develops providers and staff. Profitability in urgent care is driven …

Avoid CLIA-Waived Testing Violations in Urgent Care

Urgent message: Most of the laboratory testing that occurs in urgent care consists of simple, on-site tests that are “waived” from federal CLIA regulations—but urgent care centers must still comply with standards affecting their CLIA waiver. All facilities in the United States that perform laboratory testing on human specimens for health assessment or the diagnosis, prevention, or treatment of disease are regulated under the Clinical Laboratory Improvement Amendments of 1988 (CLIA). CLIA requires laboratories to …

Millennials Are the Biggest Segment of the Workforce—What Does That Mean for Urgent Care?

Urgent message: As millions of the “millennial generation” enter and advance in the workplace, urgent care centers must adapt to remain competitive and sought-after employers in their communities. The healthcare landscape is ever-evolving, and is currently experiencing sweeping change across many fronts. Whether it’s, say, changing reimbursement models or innovation in how care gets delivered, urgent care operators are having to adapt to rapid change at a breakneck pace. Going beyond novel patient cohorts and …

Are You Personally ‘Fit’ to Join an Urgent Care Start-up?

Urgent message: Over the past 15 years, the growth of urgent care in the United States has been fueled largely by independent entrepreneurs. Joining a start-up practice can provide tremendous advancement and financial opportunity, but such also comes with the uncertainty, change, and creativity of managing a fledgling new business. Joining a start-up company can be an exciting moment in an employee’s career. While stepping onboard a business during its early stages can feel risky, …