Ashley Blachford, Author at Journal of Urgent Care Medicine

Urgent Care Testing For Chlamydia and Gonorrhea

About three-quarters of urgent care centers test for C. trachomatis and N. gonorrhoeae (CT/NG) infections either in-house or by sending out, but utilization lags. Here’s why it matters. An Urgent Care Consultants analysis of 90,856,421 visits charted in the Experity EMR (January 1, 2022–September 13, 2025) shows adoption has broadened since the previous analysis.1 Across visits in all clinics, only about 1% included a CT/NG test, while the top-decile clinics test in roughly 4–5% of …

52-Year-Old With Calf Pain After Travel

A 52-year-old man presents to urgent care with a 2-day history of left calf pain, described as dull, non-radiating, and worsened by walking. He recently flew from Los Angeles to New York. His history includes hypertension managed with lisinopril. He denies fever, chest pain, shortness of breath, recent surgery, or prior clots. He appears well and is hemodynamically stable. Exam reveals mild swelling and tenderness in the left calf and popliteal region without erythema or …

45-Year-Old Male With Arm Lesion, Headache, and Malaise

A 45‑year‑old male presents to urgent care with headache, malaise, and an arm lesion that appeared three days ago. He reports no recent travel but notes several mice in his New York City apartment. On examination he is febrile (39.4 °C / 101 °F) and dermatologic exam reveals an eschar lesion with surrounding erythema and adjacent erythematous papules on the arm. Numerous scattered papulovesicles are also present on the trunk and forearms. Laboratory studies show mild leukopenia …

55-Year-Old With Lower Extremity Edema

A 55-year-old male presents to urgent care with progressive dyspnea for 2 weeks associated with lower extremity edema. The patient is afebrile, slightly tachypneic, with bilateral lower extremity edema on exam. An ECG is ordered. View the ECG and consider what your diagnosis and next steps would be. Resolution of the case is described on the next page.

The Power of Data in Telling Urgent Care’s Story

As we close out 2025, I find myself reflecting on a year defined by both challenge and progress. It’s been a year of reconnection—of reestablishing relationships, realigning priorities, and recommitting to what makes Urgent Care such an essential part of healthcare. Whether through chapter conferences, advocacy meetings, or direct conversations with our members, one message continues to ring true: our collective story has never been more important to tell, and data is one of the …

Sick of Sick Notes

Adrienne Freese, RN, BSN, is a charge nurse at Denver Health’s Peña Urgent Care in Denver, Colorado. For a patient, what’s worse than having a violent case of diarrhea? Obtaining an employer-required sick note proving said diarrhea. Do we, as healthcare workers, watch our patients on the toilet for evidence of diarrhea? Thankfully we don’t. Unlike our patients’ employers, we take our patients’ word for it. A sick note may seem like a benign issue, …

The Case for a Generative AI Acceptable Use Policy in Urgent Care

Urgent Message: Banning generative artificial intelligence can create a culture of secretive use that presents potential risks for legal liability, clinical harm, and degradation of reputation. Key Words: Generative Artificial Intelligence; Protected Health Information; HIPAA; Clinical Decision-Making Across urgent care centers, many clinicians are experimenting with generative artificial intelligence (AI) tools. The trend is measurable, not anecdotal. The American Medical Association reports that 2 in 3 physicians used AI in 2024—a stunning rise from 38% …

Antibiotic Resistance For Gonorrhea Seen As Global Health Threat

New data from the World Health Organization (WHO) warns of a rise in drug-resistant gonorrhea worldwide. According to a news release from the agency’s Enhanced Gonococcal Antimicrobial Surveillance Program, resistance to ceftriaxone and cefixime—2 first-line antibiotics for gonorrhea—has increased. From 2022 to 2024, ceftriaxone resistance rose from 0.8% to 5%, while cefixime resistance rose from 1.7% to 11%. Resistance to azithromycin, which is often used alongside ceftriaxone or cefixime, also increased from 0.5% to 4%, …

Healthcare Leads In Job Growth

The healthcare industry was among the few sectors to post job gains in the most recent Bureau of Labor Statistics reporting. Healthcare added 43,000 jobs in September, keeping pace with its ongoing growth for the year. Ambulatory categories accounted for the highest gain, adding more than 23,000 positions in the market. Future forecast: Against the backdrop of the aging of America, health service demand is likely to remain high, and as a result, related job …

Forthcoming Asthma Guidelines Look To Address Systemic Corticosteroid Use

Anticipated updates for asthma treatment guidelines are shifting away from oral or systemic corticosteroids because of increasing evidence of long-term harm. Negative effects can come from even short, intermittent use, according to coverage in MedPage Today of the American College of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology meeting. Studies show that as few as 3 or 4 steroid bursts over a lifetime may lead to side effects such as bone loss, metabolic disorders, and adrenal suppression. The …

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