Ashley Blachford, Author at Journal of Urgent Care Medicine

Flu Vaccines Now Making Their Way To Providers, Pharmacies

Several pharmaceutical manufacturers have announced the start of their outgoing shipments of influenza vaccines to healthcare providers and pharmacies in preparation for the 2025-2026 flu season, including GSK, CSL Seqirus, and Sanofi, according to a post by CIDRAP. Historically, every spring, a Food and Drug Administration (FDA) advisory committee meets to recommend which flu strains to include in the seasonal vaccine—recommendations that allow manufacturers to begin production. At the same time, the Centers for Disease …

More Kids Using Cannabis, Arriving In The ED

Between 2016 and 2023, emergency department (ED) visits for cannabis hyperemesis syndrome (CHS) among adolescents aged 13 to 21 years rose significantly with an overall annual increase of 49%, as published in JAMA Network Open. The rate grew from 160.4 to 1,968.3 cases per 1 million ED visits over the study period. Out of 4,571 cases sampled, 27 patients were hospitalized with intensive care. States with recreational cannabis legalization had higher CHS encounter rates overall—1,909.5 …

Drive-Up Urgent Care Banks On Convenience

A new urgent care has opened in Mercer County, Pennsylvania , but it’s not quite the rooftop most patients might expect. Thru Care is a drive-through center where patients check in at a drive-up window then complete their visit with a video monitor that connects them to the on-site clinician. The center accepts insurance or offers a flat $75 per visit fee, including medication fills for any prescription drugs that are in-stock at the center. …

AM/PM Urgent Care Creates Joint Venture With Englewood Health

A new joint venture combines a hospital system in New Jersey with an urgent care network, creating AM/PM Urgent Care with Englewood Health. Established in 2013, AM/PM Walk-in Urgent Care is owned by CEO Wesley Thek, MD. Its partner, Englewood Health, has 100 locations, delivering inpatient and outpatient care. The combined entity serves 2 counties in New Jersey with 8 urgent care centers as well as virtual care. Over time, the plan is to expand …

Texas, Louisiana Mandate Nutrition CME For Clinicians

New laws in Louisiana and Texas will soon require clinicians to complete continuing medical education (CME) courses in nutrition. Under guidance of the state’s medical board, Louisiana physicians and physician assistants will be required to complete at least 1 hour of nutrition and metabolic health CME every 4 years. Physicians, nurses, dietitians, and allied health professionals in Texas who submit an application for licensure renewal will need to complete nutrition CME first. Professional boards responsible …

Will AI Discharge Summaries Help To Reduce Burnout?

AI-generated reports using large language models (LLMs) seem inevitable in healthcare, especially when it comes to the time-consuming task of writing up patient discharge summaries, a commentary post in JAMA Internal Medicine states. Right now, the responsibility of compiling summaries is one of the many administrative burdens leading to burnout among clinicians, and leveraging LLM tools could reduce that burden if done thoughtfully and with appropriate data integration. In a related article, researchers found no …

While Healthcare Spending Will Slow Slightly, Ranks Of The Uninsured Will Grow

Healthcare spending may show signs of moderating starting next year, but the trendline will continue its sharp upward climb nonetheless, according to new numbers released by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) in Health Affairs. Overall, expect annual spending to reach $5.6 trillion this year, eventually climbing to $8.6 trillion by 2033. Health spending will likely consume 20.3% of GDP by 2033. Growth in 2024 is projected at 8.2%, followed by 7.1% growth …

Two-Dose Shingles Vaccine Shows Long-Term Effectiveness

A real-world study published in Clinical Infectious Diseases found that two doses of the adjuvanted recombinant shingles vaccine was estimated to be 74% effective at preventing herpes zoster (HZ) and 84% effective at preventing postherpetic neuralgia (PHN) in U.S. adults aged 50 years and older. The study, conducted by researchers from Kaiser Permanente Southern California (KPSC) in collaboration with the vaccine’s manufacturer GSK, evaluated the long-term effectiveness of the recombinant zoster vaccine. Researchers followed participants …

COVID’s Sore Throat Symptoms Mimic Strep Pharyngitis

Urgent care visit volumes continue at a predictable summer pace, but certain states have seen a rise in COVID-19 diagnoses, according to exclusive data from Experity. In fact, patients with COVID are presenting with symptoms that mirror strep pharyngitis, making it harder to tell the difference without testing. Arizona has the top positivity rate in the country at 24.2%, as of July 6, 2025. From mid-May through the beginning of July, the positivity rate has …

ADHD Stimulants Present Risk of Weight Loss in Young Children

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has announced updates to the labeling of all extended-release stimulant medications indicated for attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) because of a known risk of significant weight loss in children under 6 years of age. Clinically significant weight loss (at least a 10% decrease in the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention weight percentile) was observed in both short- and long-term studies with extended-release stimulants. The revised labeling will apply to extended-release …

« Previous

Login to JUCM