Ashley Blachford, Author at Journal of Urgent Care Medicine

AHA Cites Labor Costs and Administrative Burdens as Top Financial Issues

Hospitals and health systems are facing significant financial pressures that make it difficult for them to balance their budgets year after year, according to a new economic report from the American Hospital Association (AHA). Even as the pandemic eased in 2023, they dealt with rising expenses stemming from high labor, drug, and supply costs, as well as increasing administrative burdens. Meanwhile, reimbursements from Medicare and Medicaid programs haven’t kept up with the rising costs, and …

Med Spa Services Require Protocols to Prevent Blood-Borne Pathogen Exposure

A new report from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) for the first time documents incidents of HIV transmission through cosmetic injection services known as “vampire facials,” which are treatments that inject a person’s own blood into their face for cosmetic purposes, such as skin rejuvenation. The services are usually delivered in spa-type environments and involve drawing a client’s blood, separating the plasma and cells, and using disposable or multi use sterile equipment …

Banner UC Tracks Valley Fever to Speed Diagnosis

Banner Urgent Care facilities have launched a new dashboard system aimed at enhancing disease tracking capabilities across the region for coccidioidomycosis (“San Joaquin Valley fever” or “valley fever”), according to the University of Arizona website. The dashboard aggregates real-time data from all Banner locations to determine the percentage of positive cases, report patients’ symptoms, and track the timing of infections. Banner aims to pinpoint high-risk areas where the disease is more prevalent to help speed …

Walmart Gives Up on Health Clinics and Virtual Care

In a somewhat surprising move, Walmart announced this week that it will close all 51 of its health centers as well as its telehealth business after a 5 year go at the market. The Walmart Health arm of the retail giant’s strategy was on track to expand beyond its initial 5 states (Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, and Texas) but has abandoned the model because of a “challenging reimbursement environment,” the company said in a press …

Influence of Clinical Setting on Antibiotic Prescribing Practices for Acute Otitis Media in Children at an Urban Academic Medical Center

Urgent Message: This retrospective chart review study found that the odds of children receiving an antibiotic prescription for acute otitis media in urgent care and the emergency department were significantly higher compared to a primary care setting. Further research is needed to better understand factors contributing to higher antibiotic prescribing rates in acute care settings. Angelica M. Mangahas, BS; Heather M. Weinreich, MD, MPH; Johanna Wickemeyer, MD; Margaret Schmit MD; Rakhi Thambi, MD, MBA Citation: …

48-Year-Old With Foot Pain After Hiking

A 48-year-old man presents to urgent care complaining of pain in his right foot after hiking last weekend on a rough trail. He denies any trauma or specific injury. Review the images below and consider what your diagnosis and next steps would be. Resolution of the case is described on the following page.

42-Year-Old With Stinging Sensation

A 42-year-old woman presented to urgent care early in the morning saying that she felt a stinging sensation on her arm while she was cleaning her basement the previous day. She thinks it might be a bite but didn’t see anything. She had subsequent marked pain at the site and over the past few hours developed nausea and muscle aches. On physical examination, the patient had a temperature of 101.3°F (38.5°C). There were reddish-brown reticulate …

New Antibiotic Approved for UTIs

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) announced the approval of the oral antibiotic pivmecillinam for treating uncomplicated urinary tract infections (UTIs) in women over age 18. Marketed as Pivya, pivmecillinam has a unique mechanism of action to treat UTIs caused by susceptible isolates of Escherichia coli, Proteus mirabilis and Staphylococcus saprophyticus. It’s been in use outside of the United States for decades, but it’s the first antibiotic for UTIs approved by FDA in 20 years. …

Optum Set to Close Down Virtual Care

On a recent conference call, Optum notified some employees that its virtual care division will cease operations in July, according to Becker’s Health IT. Optum Virtual Care launched in 2021 and covers all 50 states. At UnitedHealth’s investor conference in November, Optum’s CEO implied that virtual care is a crowded market, and more recently, employees on social media have reported a significant workforce reduction at Optum, ranging from nurse case managers to senior director and …

Nurses Protest Use of Artificial Intelligence

Hundreds of nurses in San Francisco voiced their objections to the use of artificial intelligence (AI) in healthcare during a recent protest, according to Becker’s Hospital Review. For example, some criticized an AI feature within the Epic EHR that determines nurse staffing based on real-time charting. They argued that this method may not accurately or fairly account for their work. Additionally, some nurses raised objections to AI chatbots that interact with patients, which could create …

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