Ashley Blachford, Author at Journal of Urgent Care Medicine

Emory Health Connects to CVS MinuteClinics in Georgia

Emory Healthcare Network has partnered with MinuteClinic at its 35 locations in Georgia. While the partnership seems to be focused on in-network health benefit coverage for members of the clinically integrated network’s insurance plan, according to the press release, the clinical teams in the MinuteClinic centers will also have access to communication and consultation with Emory clinicians through electronic medical record platforms. Undoubtedly the payoff will be a steady referral stream for Emory. New signage …

Postpartum Presentations: When Risk Arises After Delivery – Headache

Urgent Message: Both common and serious postpartum conditions may present in urgent care. Headache presentations should prompt consideration for possible postpartum preeclampsia, cerebral venous thrombosis, or post-dural puncture headache. Alexa Bailey, BS; Lauren Kostandaras, BS; Hannah Poorman, BS; Michael Weinstock, MD; Catherine Neal, DO Citation: Bailey A, Kostandaras L, Poorman H, Weinstock M, Neal C. Postpartum Presentations: When Risk Arises after Delivery – Headache. J Urgent Care Med. 2025; 19(6): 23-30 Key Words: headache, postpartum, …

Shorter Visits Drive Greater Patient Satisfaction in Urgent Care

Urgent Message: Urgent care has long marketed itself as providing immediate care for acutely rising conditions, and true to this reputation, an analysis of clinical and administrative variables in electronic medical records shows the greatest predictor of patient satisfaction is visit duration. Alan A. Ayers, MBA, MAcc Citation: Ayers AA. Shorter Visits Drive Greater Patient Satisfaction in Urgent Care. J Urgent Care Med. 2025; 19(6):37-43 As a retail delivery channel, urgent care depends on future …

Documentation Excellence: The Trifecta

Brad Laymon, PA In the dynamic environment of urgent care (UC) medicine, precise, and thorough documentation serves as a cornerstone for both clinical and operational success. Beyond merely fulfilling regulatory requirements, documentation excellence has 3 critical functions, which I refer to as the “trifecta:” 1. Improved patient outcomes through clear communication of care; 2. Mitigation of malpractice risk through clear and defensible explanation of medical decision making (MDM); and 3. Accurate description of complexity to …

Dateline: Washington, D.C.

On February 5, a group of Urgent Care leaders returned to our nation’s capital to continue the work toward federal payment reform. The new administration had just settled in, and there were signs of turnover everywhere you looked: offices under reconstruction; evidence of recent unpacking; reporters everywhere; protestors on a few corners; phones ringing off the hook in every office; circles under more than a few eyes; and emotions both high and low on display. …

Abstracts in Urgent Care – March 2025

Developing Procedural Mastery With Slit Lamp Use Take Home Point: Simulation-based mastery learning (SBML) intervention improved emergency physicians’ confidence in performing and teaching slit lamp exams (SLE) to other clinicians, but this confidence waned after completing the training. Citation: Hamou S, Ghiaee S, Chung C, et. al. Emergency Department Slit Lamp Interdisciplinary Training Via Longitudinal Assessment in Medical Practice. West J Emerg Med. 2024;25(5):725-734. doi: 10.5811/westjem.18514 Relevance: Procedural comfort and competence for a wide variety …

Urgent Care Evaluation and Management of Hip Osteoarthritis

Urgent Message: Osteoarthritis of the hip most commonly affects older adults and those with other risk factors including obesity and prior hip injury. It is a diagnosis of exclusion, therefore, the initial priority in urgent care for patients presenting with hip pain involves excluding alternative, time-sensitive etiologies. Alex Dragota, BSME; Matthew Baird, MD; Michael Weinstock, MD Citation: Dragota A, Baird M, Weinstock M. Urgent Care Evaluation and Management of Hip Osteoarthritis. J Urgent Care Med. …

7-Year-Old With Playground Injury

A 7-year-old boy presents to urgent care with his worried mother after he fell off a swing at daycare. He is complaining of right foot pain and can’t walk on the injured foot. Anterior posterior and oblique foot x-rays are ordered. Review the image and consider what your diagnosis and next steps would be. Resolution of the case is described on the following page.

57-Year-Old with Left Foot Pain

A 57-year-old man presents to the urgent care with a 3-day history of left foot pain and swelling after walking barefoot on a wooden deck under construction. He recalls feeling a sharp pain in the affected foot at the time but could not see any foreign object. On examination, he has mild erythema, tenderness, and induration over the plantar surface of the midfoot. There is no visible puncture wound or foreign body present. Plain radiographs …

Retail Clinic Rooftops Retreat From 2023 Peak

Between May, 20231 and December, 2024, the number of retail-host clinics in the United States fell 21.7% from 1,750 to 1,370, according to data from National UC Realty. Not only did CVS, Walgreens, and Walmart announce significant clinic closures in 2024, there has been little to no growth among the remaining retail clinic operators. The top 5 retail hosts make up 95% of in-store clinics nationally and only 2% of total clinics are in independent …