Most Frequently Occurring X-Ray Views in Urgent Care

Availability of basic x-ray capabilities differentiates urgent care centers from walk-in primary-care and retail clinics, which lack such capabilities. According to an analysis of nearly 50,000 patient encounters by Practice Velocity and Teleradiology Specialists, approximately 11% of urgent care visits require an x-ray. The top 10 views, summarized here by Current Procedural Technology (CPT) codes, account for 86% of urgent care x-rays. (Note: The top 10 views include 11 views because of the equal percentage of presentations on the 10th most common view.) Consistent with the prevalence of cases of upper-respiratory illnesses seen in urgent care, the most frequently obtained views entail the chest. Given the high number of chest x-rays, health-care providers are at increased risk of overlooking developing lung disease unrelated to the immediately presenting condition. Therefore, urgent care centers must establish policies and procedures for radiologist over-read of x-ray images. [Editor’s note: See “Roundtable: Expert Perspectives on X-Ray Over-Read Strategies in Urgent Care,” from our April 2016 issue, at https://www.jucm.com/roundtable-expertperspectives- x-ray-read-strategies-urgent-care/.]