Ashley Blachford, Author at Journal of Urgent Care Medicine

Proposed X-Ray Rules Heighten Radiation Protection Standards

Newly proposed legislation in Arizona aims to regulate radiation safety beyond the current federal and state standards, according to AZ Mirror. Proponents say the package represents a first-in-the-nation push focused on “radiation protection systems” for interventional x-ray. For example, it requires hospitals performing real-time x-ray procedures to install enhanced protection systems in at least 50% of their procedure rooms by July 2027, and the system must include shielding that offers protection equivalent to or better …

UTI Triage Guides Address Virtual Presentations

Clinician teams have developed 2 new algorithms to guide the triage and management of adults with symptoms suggestive of urinary tract infection (UTI) across care settings, including patients who present by phone, portals, virtual visits, and in-person visits. Unlike prior recommendations that were built on telephone-based triage and empiric treatment, this new guidance published in JAMA Network Open reflects the new channels patients use to seek care. They provide structured decision support for determining visit …

New ‘Visual Combo’ Code Brings Reimbursement Risks

Effective January 1, 2026, the Centers For Medicare and Medicaid Services mandated a critical coding change for urgent care: Visually read COVID-19/flu combination tests must now be billed under the single code CPT 87812. This replaces the previous standard of unbundling the tests into 2 separate codes (CPT 87811 and CPT 87804) and was intended to be revenue-neutral. However, a national analysis of January 2026 data by Urgent Care Consultants exclusively for JUCM reveals a …

Urgent Care Use Rises While ED Use Declines: Employer Claims Analysis

New analysis from the Health Care Cost Institute (HCCI) found that urgent care utilization is increasing, reducing demand that might otherwise fall to emergency departments (EDs). From 2018 to 2022, urgent care utilization among people with employer-sponsored insurance increased 34.5% over the 5-year period from 90 visits per 1,000 people in 2018 to 156 visits per 1,000 in 2022. At the same time, ED visit rates declined by 2.5% from 176 visits per 1,000 people …

APPs Manage Half of Medicare Urgent Care Visits as Volume Doubles

While a study in JAMA Network Open last week found urgent care visits among traditional Medicare patients doubled between 2012 and 2019, at the same time, researchers also found the percentage of Medicare patients managed by advanced practice providers (APPs) increased from 21.0% in 2012 to 50.8% in 2019. According to the authors, visits seen by APPs showed a 497% relative increase in the study period, from 9.5 visits per 1,000 (95% confidence interval [CI], …

64-Year-Old Female With Diabetes and Thumb Pain

A 64-year-old female presents to urgent care complaining of right thumb pain. The patient states she removed a wooden splinter from her thumb herself about 2 weeks prior, she denies any other trauma or systemic symptoms. The patient has a history of Type II diabetes and her last A1C 2 months prior was 9.3. Physical examination reveals the patient is afebrile with normal vital signs. There is a small, scabbed wound on the palmar surface …

42-Year-Old Male With Widespread Rash, Cough and Vomiting

A 42-year-old male presents to urgent care with complaints of cough, throat pain, and vomiting that developed earlier that morning. He returned from a family vacation to the US Virgin Islands 7 days ago and two days later, he began feeling ill with initial symptoms of high fever, myalgia, and severe headache. Over the past 3 days, he has noticed the development of a widespread rash on his trunk. The rash initially appears faint and …

When Bell Palsy Is Actually a Stroke: A Case Report

Urgent Message: While Bell palsy is the most common diagnosis for patients with unilateral facial weakness/paralysis, it is important for urgent care clinicians to be able to quickly differentiate it from other more serious diagnoses. Keywords: facial palsy; stroke mimic; Bell palsy; central facial weakness; peripheral facial palsy; urgent care evaluation Luke Wisniewski, OMS3; Finley Kocher, OMS3; Muhammad Akhtar, MD Abstract Introduction: Bell palsy is the most common diagnosis for patients with unilateral facial weakness/paralysis …

Progressive Ankle Pain in a 12-Year-Old Male: A Case Report of Osteomyelitis

Urgent Message: While most pediatric musculoskeletal complaints are usually benign and self-limited, the urgent care clinician must consider more serious underlying causes of pain in the differential diagnosis. Keywords: pediatric osteomyelitis; atraumatic ankle pain; limping child; bone infection; ESR; CRP; MRI diagnosis Erin Loo, PA-C, MHA, FCUCM Abstract Introduction: Pediatric patients commonly present to urgent care (UC) with musculoskeletal complaints. However, a wide differential should be considered, including musculoskeletal injury, synovitis, autoimmune conditions, cellulitis, avascular …

The Impact of Parental Pressure on Providers Practicing in Pediatric Urgent Care

Urgent Message: Pediatric urgent care providers commonly experience pressure to satisfy parental expectations, which may alter clinical decision making, increase stress levels, and/or impart barriers to administering quality care. Keywords: parental pressure; antibiotic prescribing; shared decision-making; pediatric urgent care; patient satisfaction; clinical decision-making Daniel Moscato, MS, PA-C; Sara Winter, MS, PA-C Abstract Background: Patient-centered care focuses on strengthening patient participation in their own healthcare. Although advantages to such care exist, intended shared decision making between …

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