Journal of Urgent Care Medicine

More Antibiotics Used in Virtual UC Compared to In-Person: Study

In a new study published in Clinical Infectious Diseases, data showed that antibiotic prescriptions for respiratory tract infections (RTIs) were significantly more common in virtual urgent care (UC) settings vs in-person UC settings. Researchers from the Cleveland Clinic found that 58% of RTI virtual visits resulted in an antibiotic prescription, while only 43% of in-person visits did. Data included 19,003 visits to virtual UC and 69,189 visits to in-person UC from 2018 through 2022. COVID-19 …

Providers Seek Damages, Injunctive Relief For Change Cyberattack

At least 39 healthcare providers and the National Community Pharmacists Association (NCPA) are suing UnitedHealth Group over the Change Healthcare hack, claiming they have not financially recovered from the ransomware attack that took place in February. UnitedHealth Group’s CEO in an earnings call said the company was “a little over-optimistic” about how quickly business would return to normal. The company’s IT systems are mostly restored, but the company is still catching up on the claims …

New Blood Test Offers Option For Colorectal Cancer Screening

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) this week approved a blood test for colorectal cancer screening in average-risk adults aged 45 and older. Known as Shield, it is the first blood test to receive FDA approval as a primary screening method for colorectal cancer and to qualify for Medicare reimbursement, according to a press release. While the price has not been announced, the test is expected to reach the market within a week. Shield will …

Cannabis Present In Rising Number of Suicide Reports

A study in JAMA Network Open examined the presence of cannabis in suicide cases, as reported to US poison centers from 2009 through 2021. Researchers found intentional, suspected suicidal cannabis exposures increased by approximately 17% annually. According to national data, 18,689 exposures were reported in the time frame, and nearly all (96.5%) cases involved exposure to more than 1 substance in addition to cannabis. Overall, 9.6% of exposures resulted in death or major adverse outcomes, …

Optum Layoffs, Clinic Closures Continue

Optum is closing several urgent care and primary care clinics in multiple states, according to a report in Becker’s. More than 500 clinical and administrative employees will be laid off in California alone, hard on the heels of other recent staff impacts at locations in Colorado and Florida. Parent company UnitedHealth Group attributes the changes to the evolving needs of the business. The report notes that Optum and its subsidiaries had multiple waves of staff …

Asthma Patients May Need Fluticasone Alternatives

Earlier this year, drugmaker GSK stopped making the asthma inhaler Flovent (fluticasone)—which was available as a metered-dose inhaler (Flovent HFA) and a dry powder inhaler (Flovent Diskus). Instead, the company opted to produce its own authorized generic version of fluticasone. However, with the manufacturing change, patients are experiencing insurance barriers and delays in getting their prescriptions filled, according to NPR. It’s especially concerning for children under age 5 who may not have many asthma inhaler …

One Medical Staff Reading From Corporate Script

One Medical is facing new scrutiny for allegedly providing questionable talking points for its employees to use in response to anyone with concerns about previous reports that its call center had not appropriately escalated a number of urgent patient calls that should have received immediate medical attention. Instead, the patients were scheduled for office visits. As reported by the Washington Post, One Medical instructed staff to tell those who expressed concern over the controversy that …

Humana Takes Over Walmart Clinics

Humana is set to lease clinical space in Walmart Supercenter stores in 4 states, according to reports from Healthcare Dive. Twenty-three CenterWell Senior Primary Care and Conviva Care Centers clinics in Florida, Georgia, Missouri, and Texas will be ready to deliver care to seniors by the middle of next year. Insurance giant Humana—with its focus on Medicare Advantage—already operates 300 primary care centers in 15 states. Profit power push: Humana is one of many organizations …

Hospitals Cancel Procedures During CrowdStrike Crash

Last week’s CrowdStrike software crash left some health systems in emergency downtime situations, while others ended up delaying patients’ medical procedures, according to Healthcare Dive. The crash has been characterized in Becker’s as “worse than a cyberattack.” The American Hospital Association also said: “These disruptions are resulting in some clinical procedure delays, diversions, or cancellations. Impact is also being felt indirectly as a result of local emergency call centers being down.” Some scheduling, check-in, and …

GLP-1 Drugs Increasingly Used For Weight, Not Diabetes

A nationwide population-based study on prescribing trends published in the Annals of Internal Medicine found a significant increase in new users of GLP-1 receptor agonists who don’t have a diagnosis of type 2 diabetes. The proportion of new GLP-1 users with type 2 diabetes decreased from nearly 90% to about 70% from 2019 to 2023, according to a separate analysis of the findings in MedPage Today. Meanwhile, new users tend to be those prescribed the …