Practice Management
A review published last week in Health and Technology found that AI can read and interpret images more effectively and faster than radiologists, suggesting that AI could help make impact on today’s radiologist shortage. Even so, the industry must be mindful of the ethical and legal implications of AI use. To be clear, the authors state that AI can’t replace human radiologists but rather that AI tools can complement their work, offer guidance, and assist …
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A multi-state study analyzed prescribing patterns of influenza antiviral medications in emergency departments (ED) and urgent care (UC) centers and found that many high-risk adults (those with cardiovascular disease, renal disease, weakened immune systems, or individuals older than 70 years) with positive influenza virus test results do not receive antiviral treatment, which the authors believe could help reduce the risk of complications. As published in Clinical Infectious Diseases, researchers found that slightly more than half …
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Urgent Message: Lymphadenopathy in patients living with HIV is most commonly related to HIV infection, but it may also be related to many forms of systemic infection or malignancy. Definitive diagnosis is most often achieved by fine-needle aspiration. Hana Kusumoto, MD, MPH; Lindsey E. Fish, MD Citation: Kusumoto H, Fish LE. Insidious Unilateral Axillary Swelling in a Patient with Untreated HIV: A Case Report. J Urgent Care Med. 2025; 19(8):31-35 Key words: Diffuse Large B …
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A 17-year-old male presents to urgent care with syncope. He has a family history of sudden cardiac death. He is well appearing and with normal vital signs. An ECG is obtained. View the ECG and consider what your diagnosis and next steps would be. Resolution of the case is described on the next page.
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Urgent Message: There are limited data on implementation and use of clinical decision support tools for the evidence-based management of asthma in pediatric urgent care settings. In this pilot project, providing reports and feedback to clinicians on their use of order sets increased utilization of order sets but not adherence to best practice guidelines for asthma care. Richmond Darko, MD, MPH; Andrea Aguilera, MD; Gabriela Lins, DO; Maria Ramon-Coton, MD Citation: Darko R, Aguilera A, …
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Over the past few weeks, glucagon-like peptide-1 agonist (GLP-1) drug manufacturers Eli Lilly and Novo Nordisk have been sending cease and desist notices to providers that are still advertising generic, compounded versions of their brand name diabetes and weight loss drugs. A shortage of GLP-1 drugs temporarily allowed compounding pharmacies to produce their own versions, but now with the shortage over, the pharmacies must stop and return to filling prescriptions with the manufacturers’ branded products. …
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Alan A. Ayers, MBA, MAcc Urgent Message: While there are seemingly countless applications for artificial intelligence in healthcare, ambient scribes and front desk automation are key solutions that are readily available for adoption by urgent care providers. Citation: Ayers AA. Two AI Trends That Will Change Urgent Care. J Urgent Care Med. 2025; 19(8):xx-xx Artificial intelligence (AI) is rapidly transforming healthcare, and urgent care operators have increasing opportunities to leverage AI in a way that …
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A 55-year-old woman presents to urgent care with complaints of arthralgia and a pustular rash on her hands. She has a past medical history of Crohn disease and has taken infliximab as treatment for the past year. The patient has no recent history of travel or infections and no history of any skin conditions. On dermatological examination, multiple pustules, some becoming confluent to form “lakes of pus,” were seen on the palms and fingers. Bacterial …
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The Center for Infectious Disease Research and Policy (CIDRAP) at the University of Minnesota has established the Vaccine Integrity Project to offer vaccine recommendations and to review safety and effectiveness data, according to a press release. The project is guided by public health and policy experts—some of which served in previous positions at the Food and Drug Administration and the National Academy of Medicine—who will offer strategies to leverage scientific evidence for vaccine-related practices. To …
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Barbara D. Alexander, MD, MHS; Kimberly E. Hanson, MD, MHS; Adriana E. Rosato, PhD; David B. Nash, MD; Maren S. Fragala, PhD; Steven E. Goldberg, MD, MBA Diagnostic uncertainty and error contribute to inappropriate treatments, which, in turn, can increase morbidity and the costs associated with care.1,2,3,4 Diagnostic errors can also contribute to unnecessary antibiotic prescribing, contributing to antimicrobial resistance (AMR).1,5 Lower respiratory tract infections (LRTI) are among the most common urgent care (UC) and …
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