Ashley Blachford, Author at Journal of Urgent Care Medicine

States Look To Limit Medical Debt Wage Garnishment

Lawmakers in Colorado, Florida, Hawaii, Indiana, Maine, Michigan, Ohio, and Washington are looking to add protections for patients with unpaid medical debt by prohibiting wage garnishment for bill collection, according to MedPage Today. Proponents are concerned that some garnishment might occur for incorrect billing or that siphoning away a worker’s wages could leave low-income families without the money they need for heat, food, or housing. However, providers have concerns about accumulating bad debt that could …

An Evaluation of Unnecessary Prophylactic Antibiotics For Clean Lacerations

Urgent Message: Prophylactic antibiotic prescribing for patients with clean lacerations is a common but unnecessary practice. Rates of prescribing did not differ based on type of provider or physician specialty in this study of 20 urgent care centers. Michael Smart, PhD; Jennifer Bush, MSN, APRN, FNP-C/ENP-C Keywords: antimicrobial stewardship; prophylactic antibiotics; laceration repair; urgent care Abstract Background: Oral prophylactic antibiotics for clean lacerations that require suture repair are commonly prescribed when they are unneeded. We …

The ‘Halo Effect’ of Hybrid Care

Contrary to the fear that virtual care cannibalizes brick-and-mortar volume, 2025 data reveals a distinct “halo effect” for hybrid urgent care operators. Analysis of average daily visits shows that practices offering telemedicine outperformed those that did not by nearly 12%, averaging 34.5 visits per day compared to 30.8. Crucially, this growth is not purely digital. While hybrid clinics averaged 2.1 telemedicine cases daily, they also saw 32.4 in-person visits—approximately 2 more physical encounters per day …

Abstracts in Urgent Care – March 2026

Review of Evidence for Links of Autism with Maternal Acetaminophen Use Take Home Point: Existing evidence does not clearly link maternal acetaminophen (paracetamol) use during pregnancy with autism or attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) in children. Citation: Sheikh J, Allotey J, Sobhy S, et al. Maternal paracetamol (acetaminophen) use during pregnancy and risk of autism spectrum disorder and attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder in offspring: umbrella review of systematic reviews. BMJ. 2025;391:e088141. doi:10.1136/bmj-2025-088141 Relevance: Recent public discussion …

Increased Incidence of Pneumonia in Pediatric Urgent Care

Urgent Message: Pediatric after‑hours care clinics experienced a significant rise in radiographically confirmed pneumonia over a 2‑year period, paralleling national increases in Mycoplasma pneumoniae infections. Morgan McBee, MD; Leslie Spence, MD; Jeanne Hill, MD; Leah S. McBee, MD Keywords: pediatrics; community-acquired pneumonia; mycoplasma pneumonia; after-hours care; radiography, thoracic Abstract Introduction: Pediatric community-acquired pneumonia typically occurs at a rate of approximately 20 visits per 1,000 children in the population. Multiple reports and data from the Centers …

An Uncommon Cause of Rectal Pain: A Case Report of Fishbone Foreign Body

Urgent Message: Careful history and examination are required when assessing patients presenting with rectal pain. Clinicians should maintain a high index of suspicion for accidental foreign-body ingestion when assessing unexplained rectal discomfort. Ivan Koay, MBChB, MRCS, FCUCM, FRNZCUC, MD; Cameron Olphert, BSc (Hons), MSc Key Words: rectal pain; foreign body; proctoscopy; fishbone ingestion; hemorrhoids; gastrointestinal issues Abstract Clinical Presentation: A 50-year-old male with a history of type 2 diabetes mellitus and hemorrhoids presented to urgent …

What To Know About Payers’ Downcoding Procedures

Tricia Krueger, CPC; Nikki Benedict Insurers are drawing provider backlash for new payment policies that reduce reimbursements. For example, Cigna is automatically “downcoding” 6 evaluation and management (E/M) billing codes for a small percentage of providers, resulting in lower payments for routine services like office visits. Aetna’s new Medicare Advantage policy will automatically approve certain hospital admissions but reimburse them at the lower observation rate instead of the full inpatient rate. Providers argue these opaque …

Why Disclaimers Don’t Belong in Patient Charts and What They Say About Your Culture of Care

Urgent Message: Replace vague, defensive disclaimers in patient charts with clear, specific documentation and evidence-based communication to strengthen trust and demonstrate a culture of quality care. Alan A. Ayers, MBA, MAcc Keywords: EHR templates; smart phrases; culture; disclaimers; patient charts; malpractice Disclaimers are creeping into urgent care documentation. Many providers have grown accustomed to including boilerplate language such as “comfort measures were reviewed,” “patient verbalized understanding,” or “dictated but not read.” These lines are often …

45-Year-Old Woman With Chronic Productive Cough

A 45-year-old woman presents to urgent care with a persistent productive cough for the past few months. Over the past week, she has noticed more sputum production, which is thick and dark in color, as well as fatigue and dyspnea on exertion. She denies fevers, pharyngitis, abdominal pain, or gastrointestinal upset. She denies tobacco use or occupational exposures to any inhaled chemicals. Physical exam reveals that the patient is afebrile with vital signs within normal …

A Rash and Fever Following a Bone Marrow Transplant

A 49-year-old male presents to urgent care with 3 days of progressively worsening fever and a widespread painful rash. He also reports dry mouth and painful lesions on his gums. The patient has a history of acute myeloid leukemia, and he received an allogeneic bone marrow transplant 2 weeks prior to onset of symptoms. Physical examination reveals a fever of 101.3°F (38.5°C), several ulcerated lesions on the buccal mucosa, and a violaceous papular rash to …

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