Practice Management
In a cohort study of children and adolescents with elevated blood pressure (BP) and/or hypertension, researchers found that as adults, those same individuals had a 16% to 63% chance of returning to normal BP levels. The 2,918 children with elevated BP who were studied were more than twice as likely to have elevated BP/hypertension as adults, according to research published in JAMA Pediatrics. Children with normal BP often sustained it into adolescence, but the probability …
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Proposed regulatory changes in Oregon would require registration for urgent care (UC) centers operating in the states while also enforcing a number of operational standards. Like the newly minted Massachusetts law, Oregon’s proposal would give the Oregon Health Authority (OHA) discretion to create processes, define fees, and require certain capabilities among UC centers. For example, the proposed regulation includes a requirement that centers must provide clinical summaries and medical notes to patients after their visits. …
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After a pilot project at 2 of its locations, ZoomCare—which offers urgent care, primary care, emergency, and specialty care—has started accepting Medicare and Medicare Advantage patients across its entire network of 45 centers in Oregon and Washington, according to a press release. ZoomCare initially started with 1 urgent care location in 2006 targeting Millennials, and by 2018, the original founders had sold the organization to the local Catholic health system PeaceHealth. A large part of …
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Concussion Recovery in Young Children  Take Home Point: This study suggests that children aged 5-12 years old with concussion have similar trajectories of recovery regardless of mechanism of injury. Citation: Ledoux A, Sicard V, Bijelic V, et. all. Symptom Recovery in Children Aged 5 to 12 Years With Sport-Related and Non–Sport-Related Concussion. JAMA Netw Open. 2024 Dec 2;7(12): e2448797. doi: 10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2024.48797. Relevance: More knowledge about the natural history of concussion in children can help …
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Patients are finding positive benefit in the use of glucagon-like peptide 1 (GLP-1) receptor agonist drugs across a wide range of health conditions, as published in Nature Medicine. An observational study of Veterans Affairs data for nearly 2 million patients found that over about 3 years, adults with type 2 diabetes who used a GLP-1 had significantly decreased risks for 42 outcomes, increased risks for 19 outcomes, and no effect with 114 other outcomes when …
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After concerns about claiming the top spot for the country’s longest emergency department (ED) wait times, Maryland established the Maryland Emergency Department Wait Time Reduction Commission in July 2024 to craft long-term solutions that could be rolled out sooner rather than later. Among the commission’s early recommendations released this week is a plan to reduce hospital capacities by improving efficiency in addressing the needs of older populations with chronic health conditions and those with behavioral …
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Optum Health is continuing to ease back on its MedExpress urgent care line of business. There are only 19 centers that remain open, according to the Minnesota Star Tribune, which is an 87% decrease from the 150 locations operating in 2022. Parent company UnitedHealth Group’s executives in a recent call with investors said that some parts of the Optum business aren’t as important for the future as they once were. There is less emphasis now …
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The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) will now require labeling changes for 2 respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) vaccines to warn of the potential risk of Guillain-Barré syndrome (GBS) associated with the vaccines. Postmarket observational studies suggest there is an increased risk of GBS during the 42 days following vaccination with Pfizer’s Abrysvo vaccine for RSV and GSK’s Arexvy vaccine for RSV. Both were approved by FDA in 2023, so they are relatively new in the …
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This month, Jeremy Morgan was named chief executive officer of American Family Care (AFC), succeeding Randy Johansen, who has retired. Morgan is the former CEO of a national franchisor organization with 5 brands that grew to nearly 900 locations and $700 million in revenue during his tenure. Additionally, David Prokupek was named to the AFC board of directors as executive chairman. His experience includes previous CEO positions with Ideal Image, Jackson Hewitt, and Smashburger. Outgoing …
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Massachusetts enacted a new law this month aimed at healthcare businesses, which includes stricter reporting standards and licensing requirements for urgent care centers. According to National Law Review, the Massachusetts Department of Public Health has been granted the authority to develop and enforce the specific licensing criteria for urgent care, which is expected by October 1. Licensed hospitals, hospital affiliates, community health centers, and limited service clinics are exempt from the new licensing requirement, making …
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