Ashley Blachford, Author at Journal of Urgent Care Medicine

A Historic Milestone for Urgent Care Nurse Practitioners: The Journey to Specialty Certification Begins

Lisa H. Bishop, DNP, MSN, MHA, FNP-BC, CDEO, FCUCM After years of persistence, collaboration, and advocacy, we have reached a historic milestone for the nurse practitioner profession and the specialty of urgent care. The American Academy of Nurse Practitioners Certification Board (AANPCB) has officially confirmed our petition to begin development of the first Urgent Care Nurse Practitioner Certification. This announcement represents far more than the creation of a new credential. It is the beginning of …

Are You Documenting For Comprehensive Care?

Brad Laymon, PA-C, CPC, CEMC Is there an opportunity to optimize for accurate billing when more comprehensive care is delivered? Clinicians ask me this question more often than almost any other, thinking they might be leaving money on the table. The honest answer is usually yes, but not the way most people expect. The opportunity rarely sits in doing more procedures. It sits in documentation that reflects the comprehensive care that was delivered during the …

More Kids Are Using GLP-1 Drugs For Obesity

Use of glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1) receptor agonists among U.S. children with obesity is increasing rapidly. A national analysis from NYU Langone Health published in Pediatrics found that among children ages 8–11 with obesity and without diabetes, GLP-1 prescribing was 310 times higher in 2026 than it was in 2019 (when the drugs first began reaching the market), with 20,282 children in this age group receiving these medications during the study period. Most treated children had …

New-Onset Atrial Fibrillation Triggered by Diarrhea-Induced Dehydration: A Case Report

Urgent Message: Dehydration and its associated electrolyte disturbances can precipitate new-onset atrial fibrillation. Recognition of an irregular cardiac rhythm should prompt electrocardiographic evaluation and/or referral to a higher level of care. Morgan Cianciolo, FNP-C, Christina Gardner, DHSc, MBA, PA-C, CAQ-EM Keywords: new-onset atrial fibrillation; dehydration; volume depletion; diarrhea; electrolyte imbalance; urgent care Abstract Introduction: Atrial fibrillation is the most common sustained arrhythmia in adults and is frequently associated with precipitating factors, including systemic illness, metabolic …

Prisma Acquires 36 Novant Health Urgent Cares

Prisma Health has announced plans to acquire 36 urgent care rooftops in South Carolina from Novant Health, which until about a year ago were branded as Doctors Care clinics. After the transaction, expected to close November 1, 2026, the centers will operate under the Prisma Health Urgent Care name. Virtual and walk-in care will continue, including respiratory testing, x-rays, and laboratory services, according to the announcement. Echoing the national trend of hospital-owned urgent cares, the …

Accidental Tongue Ring Ingestion: Balancing Caution and Conservative Management in Urgent Care

Urgent Message: Most ingested foreign objects pass spontaneously with little risk of complications in adults. However, in cases where patients experience persistent symptoms, escalation to emergency department evaluation may be appropriate. Naun Gutierrez Jr., MSN, FNP-C; Christina Gardner, DHSc, MBA, PA-C Keywords: foreign body ingestion; gastrointestinal foreign body; tongue ring ingestion; radiography; conservative management; urgent care Abstract Introduction: Foreign body ingestion is a clinically important presentation in urgent care, with management guided by object characteristics, …

Change of Scenery: Physicians Find Variety of Helpful Fixes For Burnout

A national study of physicians presented in JAMA Network Open found actions, such as changing schedules or taking a vacation, were associated with substantial improvements in burnout or professional fulfillment. Physicians completed a burnout/professional fulfillment survey, and 6 months later, completed the same survey again. The researchers identified 87 physicians out of the 359 participants whose scores happened to improve substantially during those 6 months (24.3%). Of those physicians, 30 agreed to follow-up interviews. During …

62-Year-Old With Acute Dyspnea

A 62-year-old female presents to urgent care with acute dyspnea that worsened significantly 2 hours prior to arrival. She has noted progressive shortness of breath over the past week but now feels severely winded. She denies chest pain, cough, fever, leg swelling, or history of deep vein thrombosis. On evaluation, the patient is tachycardic and tachypneic with a heart rate of 110 beats per minute and an oxygen saturation of 91% on room air. She …

Is Myopia a Disease? Medical Groups Might See It That Way

The American Medical Association (AMA) recently agreed with the American Academy of Ophthalmology (AAO) that myopia is an increasing public health concern warranting improved screening in children and prevention efforts, according to a news release from the AAO. Although myopia is not currently considered a disease by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, insurers, or public health programs, the AMA’s support is clear evidence that the disease-model view of myopia has grown beyond the …

San Diego University Offers Clinic After Mumps Outbreak

Public health officials have confirmed a mumps outbreak at San Diego State University (SDSU). Five confirmed and/or probable cases have been identified as of September 18, and all the cases are among student athletes on a single team. The students are no longer considered contagious. In response, the San Diego County Public Health Services hosted a clinic for students to screen for mumps symptoms and also to provide a measles, mumps and rubella vaccine boosters …

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