Journal of Urgent Care Medicine

Practice Management

 

Urgent Care News

Circulatory Diseases Drive Higher Mortality

Circulatory Diseases Drive Higher Mortality in the U.S.

Compared with 17 other high-income countries, the United States had higher mortality rates from 1999–2022—adding …
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AOM Treatment Shows No ‘Weekend Effect’

AOM Treatment Shows No ‘Weekend Effect’

In a retrospective study from the pediatric emergency department (PED) at Samson Assuta Ashdod University …
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Physician Gender Pay Gap Per Specialty

Physician Gender Pay Gap Has Little to Do With Area of Specialty

A survey of 10,865 full-time physicians found that in terms of total compensation, female physicians …
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Upper Respiratory Visits Associated With Inappropriate Antibiotics

Upper Respiratory Visits Associated With Inappropriate Antibiotics

Despite ongoing education and stewardship programs, inappropriate antibiotic prescribing is still common in high-income countries, …
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Gonorrhea and Syphilis Cases Surge in Europe

Gonorrhea and Syphilis Cases Surge in Europe

Recent surveillance data shows that sexually transmitted infections (STIs) are rising across Europe, with gonorrhea …
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Original Research 

Tympanometry as a Diagnostic Tool in Urgent Care

Application of an Algorithmic Prediction Model to Determine the Utility and Financial Viability of Tympanometry as a Diagnostic Tool in Urgent Care

Urgent Message: The prediction model developed for this study suggests that tympanometry may have value …
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Computer Use in Urgent Care Room

The Effect of Computer Use in the Exam Room on Patient Satisfaction in Urgent Care

Urgent Message: The use of a computer in the urgent care examination room does not …
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Demographic and Clinical Predictors of Rib Fracture, Complication, and Follow-up Among Patients With Rib Injuries Presenting to Urgent Care

Urgent Message: This retrospective cross-sectional study found more than one-third of patients who presented to …
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Unnecessary Prophylactic Antibiotics For Clean Lacerations

An Evaluation of Unnecessary Prophylactic Antibiotics For Clean Lacerations

Urgent Message: Prophylactic antibiotic prescribing for patients with clean lacerations is a common but unnecessary …
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Pneumonia in Pediatric Urgent Care

Increased Incidence of Pneumonia in Pediatric Urgent Care

Urgent Message: Pediatric after‑hours care clinics experienced a significant rise in radiographically confirmed pneumonia over …
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Clinical 

Pelvic Pain in Urgent Care

Gynecologic Causes of Abdominal and Pelvic Pain: Diagnosis and Management

Urgent Message: Abdominal and pelvic pain are common presentations to urgent care. Clinicians need to maintain a broad differential to …
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Shortness of Breath in Pregnancy in Urgent Care

Shortness of Breath in Pregnancy: Differentiating Physiology from Pathology in Urgent Care

Urgent Message: As shortness of breath and edema are common in pregnancy, urgent care clinicians must distinguish patients with normal …
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Sexually Transmitted Infections in Urgent Care

United States Sexually Transmitted Infections: A Comprehensive Overview and Relevance To Urgent Care Centers

Urgent Message: Patients frequently utilize urgent care centers for testing and treatment of sexually transmitted infections. All clinicians can be …
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Postpartum Shortness of Breath

Postpartum Presentations: When Risk Arises After Delivery – Shortness of Breath

Urgent Message: Shortness of breath presentations for postpartum patients in urgent care should prompt consideration of venous thromboembolism or peripartum …
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Practice Management 

Who Can Take X-Rays in an Urgent Care

Who Can Take X-Rays in an Urgent Care Center: A 50-State Framework

Urgent Message: This 50-state framework details who can legally operate x-ray equipment, as these laws dictate whether the industry’s predominant …
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2026 Urgent Care Top 100

The 2026 Urgent Care Top 100 By Number of Locations

Alan Ayers, MBA, MAcc Keywords: urgent care; ambulatory care facilities; joint venture; organizational affiliation The nation’s total urgent care center …
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Off-Duty Statements Liability

How Off-Duty Statements Create On-Duty Liability

Urgent Message: There is effectively no right to “free speech” in a private employer-employee relationship. That means private healthcare employers …
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Portable X-Ray in Urgent Care

Portable X-Ray in Urgent Care: Why Cheaper Isn’t Better

Urgent Message: Urgent care startups should avoid “cheaper” portable x-ray units, as they face regulatory restrictions, create workflow bottlenecks, and …
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CASE REPORTS

Glioblastoma in Urgent Care

When a Headache is the Worst-Case Scenario: A Case Report of Glioblastoma

Urgent Message: While most headache presentations are not life-threatening, urgent care providers must remain vigilant in …
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Brugada Syndrome in Urgent Care

Brugada Syndrome in the Urgent Care Center: A Case Report

Urgent Message: Brugada syndrome may present with subtle electrocardiogram findings, and clinicians must recognize the pattern …
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Pediatric Plantar Puncture Wound

Pediatric Plantar Puncture Wound Through Rubber-Soled Footwear: A Case Report Highlighting Antibiotic Stewardship in Urgent Care

Urgent Message: Low-risk plantar puncture wounds in healthy children can be safely managed without antibiotics. Parents …
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Rectal Pain from Fishbone Feature Image

An Uncommon Cause of Rectal Pain: A Case Report of Fishbone Foreign Body

Urgent Message: Careful history and examination are required when assessing patients presenting with rectal pain. Clinicians …
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Pneumothorax Wheezing

Wheezing as a Pneumothorax Presentation: A Case Report

Urgent Message: For patients with presumed asthma exacerbation, clinicians must maintain a high index of suspicion …
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Download Past Issues

JUCM May 2026 Headache

May 2026: Worst-Case Scenario: A Headache With Red Flags

VIEW ISSUES ARCHIVE

JUCM CAREER CENTER

CLINICAL IMAGE CHALLENGES

Lesser Trochanter Avulsion Fracture in Urgent Care

12-Year-Old Boy With Left Groin and Buttock Pain

A 12-year-old male presents to urgent care with his mother for left groin and buttock pain since acute onset while …
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Eosinophilic Folliculitis in Urgent Care

39-Year-Old Male With Itchy Rash to Chest

A 39-year-old male presents to the local urgent care reporting an intensely itchy rash for the past 3 weeks that …
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Osborn Waves of Hypothermia

42-Year-Old With Altered Mental Status

Figure 1. Initial EGC Case presented by Benjamin Cooper, MD, McGovern Medical School, The University of Texas Health Science Center …
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PAPVR in Urgent Care

26-Year-Old Female With Cough, Shortness of Breath, and Fatigue

A 26-year-old female presents to urgent care with a persistent productive cough for 1 week. Over the past 3 days, …
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Acroangiodermatitis in Urgent Care

67-Year-Old Man With Dark Patch on Ankle

A 67-year-old man visits urgent care for a lesion on his right ankle that was first noticed 25 years ago …
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Revenue Cycle Management

Medicare 2026 Therapy Services Update

Medicare 2026 Therapy Services Update: Key Changes and What Providers Need to Know

Cindy Dickey; Tricia Krueger, CPC The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) has introduced several important updates to therapy …
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AI-Driven Revenue Cycle Management

The Risks of Fully AI-Driven Revenue Cycle Management

Kimberly Hardin, Josh Rainey As healthcare organizations look to modernize operations, the idea of a fully artificial intelligence (AI)-driven revenue …
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Guide to Coding Denials and Diagnosis Compliance

A Basic Guide to Coding Denials and Diagnosis Compliance

Samantha Etter, CPC; Reanna Nelson, CPC Healthcare reimbursement processes continue to evolve. In 2026, diagnosis-based denials have increased significantly across …
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What To Know About Payers’ Downcoding Procedures

Tricia Krueger, CPC; Nikki Benedict Insurers are drawing provider backlash for new payment policies that reduce reimbursements. For example, Cigna …
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Mitigating Coding Compliance Risks of AI

Mitigating Coding Compliance Risks of AI Documentation Tools

Three types of artificial intelligence (AI) technologies are quickly moving to the urgent care exam room: real-time transcription; real-time coding; …
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DEVELOPING DATA

Structural Divide in Urgent Care Occupational Medicine

The Structural Divide in Urgent Care Occupational Medicine

Data reveals that occupational medicine in urgent care is fundamentally top-heavy. As the table illustrates, the top 20% of clinics …
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Which Generation Uses Urgent Care

Which Generation Uses Urgent Care The Most?

Understanding generational demographics is critical for any organization because age drives consumer behavior.¹ While the U.S. population is distributed relatively …
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The ‘Test and Treat’ Shift: 2026

“Test and treat” legislation at the state level is transforming pharmacists from dispensers into providers, authorizing them to diagnose and …
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The ‘Halo Effect’ of Hybrid Care

The ‘Halo Effect’ of Hybrid Care

Contrary to the fear that virtual care cannibalizes brick-and-mortar volume, 2025 data reveals a distinct “halo effect” for hybrid urgent …
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STI Test Bundling

Missed Opportunities in STI Test Bundling

An analysis of 70,915,524 visits logged across ~3,600 urgent care centers in the Experity EMR from January 1, 2024, through …
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Abstracts in Urgent Care

June 2026 Abstracts in Urgent Care

Abstracts in Urgent Care – June 2026

Comparing Point-of-Care Ultrasound With X-Rays in Pediatric Physeal Injuries Take Home Point: Point-of-care ultrasound (POCUS) demonstrated a high sensitivity in …
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Abstracts in Urgent Care May 2026

Abstracts in Urgent Care – May 2026

Variation in Pretibial Laceration Management Take Home Point: Assessment and management of pretibial lacerations lack consistent standardized guidelines, which is …
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Abstracts in Urgent Care – April 2026

Chest X-rays for Abdominal Pain: Physicians’ Perspectives Take Home Point: In this study, emergency medicine physicians expressed favorable attitudes toward …
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March 2026 Abstracts in Urgent Care

Abstracts in Urgent Care – March 2026

Review of Evidence for Links of Autism with Maternal Acetaminophen Use Take Home Point: Existing evidence does not clearly link …
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CT Imaging in Children

Abstracts in Urgent Care – February 2026

Do We Need to Manage Presyncope Similar to Syncope? Take Home Point: Patients with unexplained presyncope and syncope in this …
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LETTER FROM THE EDITOR-IN-CHIEF

Celebrating 20 Years of JUCM

Celebrating 20 Years of JUCM

“The more things change, the more they stay the same.” This quote by French writer Jean-Baptiste Alphonse Karr in 1849 …
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Training Our Teams to Meet the Needs of Our Patients

Countless times over the last year I have heard variations on a “we can’t” theme. It’s a specific and focused …
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Join Me and Contribute to JUCM

Join Me and Contribute to JUCM

It is an absolute honor and pleasure to serve as the new Editor In Chief of The Journal of Urgent …
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Urgent Care is HOLA

The Quality of Urgent Care Depends on our Commitment to HOLA Expertise

At least once a month, a friend or family member will text me—often for the first time in years—to share …
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UC Management of HDOD

Managing Health Data Obsessive Disorder Presentation in Urgent Care

In a prior editorial, I described the case of Thomas, a young man among the “worried-well,” who presented to urgent …
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