Ashley Blachford, Author at Journal of Urgent Care Medicine

COPD Common Among Asthma Patients

Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) was found to be the most common comorbidity for adults with asthma, according to a study published in BMJ Open Respiratory Research. Acute rhinosinusitis, chronic rhinosinusitis with nasal polyps, atopic dermatitis, allergic rhinitis, dysfunctional breathing, diabetes, pneumonia, sleep apnea, and gastroesophageal reflux disease, respectively, were also common comorbidities. Based in Finland, the study included 1,648 adults with asthma and 3,310 individuals without the condition, following them for 15 years. Researchers …

Latest Physician Shortage Numbers Paint Painful Picture

According to a report from the Association of American Medical Colleges (AAMC), new projections indicate a continued shortage of physicians in the next 10 to 15 years, although the shortage is expected to be less than previously forecasted. AAMC predicts a shortfall of 13,500 to 86,000 physicians by 2036, with demand for physician services continuing to outpace the supply of working clinicians. By comparison, the 2021 report projected a shortfall of up to 124,000 physicians …

Urgent Care Must Adapt and Demonstrate Value

A recent article in Physicians Practice by Benjamin Barlow, MD, Chief Medical Officer of Experity, summarizes the shifting market position for urgent care (UC). Barlow notes how during the pandemic era, UC clinics stepped up with flexibility and efficiency to deliver SARS-CoV-1 tests at scale. However, after a time, relying on that approach became short-sighted, leading to many clinics shifting away from fundamental urgent care capabilities. Now they must restore balance that is long overdue …

Children’s LA Opens Virtual Urgent Care

Children’s Hospital Los Angeles (CHLA) has launched a new virtual urgent care service specifically for children and young adults up to 21 years old who need after-hours medical attention for non-emergency conditions, according to MobiHealth News. The platform connects patients with CHLA healthcare providers for presentations such as fever, respiratory infections, vomiting, minor eye issues, allergies, bruises, cuts and scrapes. The telehealth providers can offer discharge instructions, send prescriptions to pharmacies, and recommend a referral …

New Treatment for Pulmonary Arterial Hypertension

Last week, the Food and Drug Administration approved the medication sotatercept, which traps activins that cause constriction of arteries in the lungs, leading to pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH). Sotatercept targets a growth factor that is overproduced in PAH, reducing the risk of blood vessel thickening. The population with PAH is relatively small—diagnosed in 500 to 1,000 Americans annually and disproportionately affecting women between the ages of 30 and 60, according to the American Lung Association. …

Positive Measles Test May Actually Indicate Recent Vaccine

A recent report from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) found polymerase chain reaction (PCR) tests that simultaneously test for multiple causes of a rash may show false positives for measles in children who recently had a dose of the measles, mumps, rubella (MMR) vaccine. About approximately 5% of kids experience a rash 7–10 days after the MMR shot. A study of 1,548 syndromic PCR panels from the Tennessee Department of Health found 14 children …

Payer Stats Reveal Urgent Care Utilization Up 207%

The share of the procedures provided in urgent care (UC) centers submitted on commercial insurance claims grew 207% from 2013 to 2022, according to an in-depth index report from nonprofit claims-data analysis organization FAIR Health. Teasing out single-year growth, utilization of urgent care centers increased 43% from 2021 to 2022. Growth of these “claim lines”—essentially individual procedures listed on insurance claims—echoes the robust growth in the number of urgent care clinics serving the nation overall, …

Who’s on First?

Here at the Urgent Care Association (UCA), we often used to ask ourselves, “Is this a UCA thing or a College thing or a Foundation thing?” Over the past few years of talking to all of you, I learned that we were not the only ones asking this question. When you build a house, over the years, you may add on a fantastic new sunroom, then an expansive extra bedroom, and then maybe you remodel …

NSAIDs in Urgent Care and Emergency Departments: A Narrative Review

Urgent Message: This narrative review of non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) characterizes the specific evidence-based indications, previous studies on dosing and route, and side effects of these medications. It supports NSAIDs as an important class of medications in the management of acute pain in urgent care and emergency settings. Campbell Belisle Haley, MD; Andy T. Hsueh, MD; Chih-Hsuan Chen, MD; Ariana M. Nelson, MD Citation: Belisle Haley C, Hsueh AT, Chen CH, Nelson A. NSAIDs in …

Delayed-Onset Facial Nerve Palsy Following Post-Auricular Gunshot Wound: A Case Report

David Hourani, MD; Bradley M. Golden, DO; Daniel McCollum, MD; John R. Barrett, MD Urgent Message: Mistaking traumatic facial paralysis for Bell’s palsy can delay treatment and have lifelong consequences. Prompt imaging and otolaryngology consultation are critical in determining disposition and management. Citation: Hourani D, Golden BM, McCollum D, Barrett JR. Delayed-Onset Facial Nerve Palsy Following Post-Auricular Gunshot Wound: A Case Report. J Urgent Care Med. 2024; 18(x):13-16. Keywords: facial nerve palsy; cranial nerve VII …