Journal of Urgent Care Medicine

Payer Stats Reveal Urgent Care Utilization Up 207%

The share of the procedures provided in urgent care (UC) centers submitted on commercial insurance claims grew 207% from 2013 to 2022, according to an in-depth index report from nonprofit claims-data analysis organization FAIR Health. Teasing out single-year growth, utilization of urgent care centers increased 43% from 2021 to 2022. Growth of these “claim lines”—essentially individual procedures listed on insurance claims—echoes the robust growth in the number of urgent care clinics serving the nation overall, …

Who’s on First?

Here at the Urgent Care Association (UCA), we often used to ask ourselves, “Is this a UCA thing or a College thing or a Foundation thing?” Over the past few years of talking to all of you, I learned that we were not the only ones asking this question. When you build a house, over the years, you may add on a fantastic new sunroom, then an expansive extra bedroom, and then maybe you remodel …

NSAIDs in Urgent Care and Emergency Departments: A Narrative Review

Urgent Message: This narrative review of non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) characterizes the specific evidence-based indications, previous studies on dosing and route, and side effects of these medications. It supports NSAIDs as an important class of medications in the management of acute pain in urgent care and emergency settings. Campbell Belisle Haley, MD; Andy T. Hsueh, MD; Chih-Hsuan Chen, MD; Ariana M. Nelson, MD Citation: Belisle Haley C, Hsueh AT, Chen CH, Nelson A. NSAIDs in …

Change Cyberattack: How to Get Your Advance Payment From Insurers

The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) earlier this week posted a letter to healthcare providers acknowledging their cash flow disruptions resulting from the Change Healthcare cyberattack that crippled mission-critical eligibility and claims processes nationwide. Providers were collectively losing as much as $1 billion a day for several weeks while they waited for Change to rebuild and relaunch its systems, according to a report from Axios. HHS officials also offered a practical resource guide …

Primary Care Operator Buys 11 VillageMD Sites

Walgreens recently completed the sale of 11 VillageMD clinics in Rhode Island to Arches Medical Partners (AMP), based in Boston. The sale is part of Walgreens’ broader initiative to boost profitability by divesting VillageMD primary care locations, following a period of weak fourth-quarter earnings in 2023. This week, the company announced 160 VillageMD clinics have been slated for closure—100 more than previously announced. The company recently exited the Florida market entirely and this week announced …

Mild Winters Keep Ticks Biting

The potential for greater spread of harmful pathogens is yet another negative aspect of climate change that should be examined closely, according to infectious diseases experts in a recent JAMA article. Atmospheric changes are driving alterations in pathogens and parasites as temperatures rise and weather extremes persist, including severe heat, droughts, and wildfires. Authors found recent rises in vector-borne, zoonotic, fungal, and waterborne diseases they believe are the result of climate change. Conditions such as …

Should the ACEs Screening Tool Consider Gun Violence?

A common screening tool used to evaluate health and adversity is in need of a modern makeover, according to a perspective in STAT News written by a graduate student at George Washington University. The screening questionnaire—the adverse childhood experience (ACE) tool that quantifies early experiences related to abuse, violence, and neglect—can indicate risk for long-term health effects throughout life. The higher an individual’s ACE score, the greater the risk of negative health outcomes. According to …

Comparing Urgent Care and Hospital Pneumonia Diagnoses

A retrospective study conducted across 28 urgent care clinics in Utah found an estimated rate of pneumonia overdiagnosis in urgent care clinics of 30%. The authors arrived at the estimate by examining a group of 7,214 patients’ pneumonia diagnoses recorded from January 2019 through December 2020 in the urgent care centers and comparing them with subsequent diagnoses in an emergency department (ED) or hospital. Of the urgent care patients who were later seen in an …

Health Systems Face Low Reimbursement, Higher Operating Costs

A recent survey of health system financial leaders by the Healthcare Financial Management Association examined the pain points executives are facing in a tough market that is characterized by higher operating costs and lower payer reimbursement. At the top of the list, 96% of the 135 system leaders polled say higher labor costs are putting downward pressure on margins, 84% say the same about lower payer reimbursement, and 47% say as much about higher supply …

Concentra Slated To Go Public in 2024

According to a press release from March 18, 2024, Concentra Group Holdings Parent Inc. has plans for the Concentra line of business to go public and has filed a confidential draft registration statement with the Securities and Exchange Commission. With centers in 41 states, Concentra is one of the largest urgent care and occupational medicine operators in the country. Previously, Select Medical Holdings announced its intent to pursue separation from Concentra, carving out 2 separate …