Practice Management
It’s an incredible honor to be writing this column as the new CEO of the Urgent Care Association (UCA). I’ve long admired the work of this organization, and over the past several years, I’ve had the privilege of engaging with many of you as a colleague, advocate, and fellow believer in the value Urgent Care brings to healthcare. Stepping into this role feels less like a new beginning and more like a full-circle moment—one that …
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A 42-year-old woman with widespread scaly lesions presents to urgent care. On exam, the provider noted superficial crusts and exfoliative plaques seen on the face, neck, and chest. The patient reported that the lesions were painful, but she had no systemic symptoms and felt fine otherwise. The rash emerged a couple of months prior. The patient had no recent history of travel or infections and was not currently on any medications. The urgent care took …
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The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) this week approved 3 COVID-19 vaccines for the upcoming flu season. However, key restrictions that differ from years past include: fewer vaccine options for the youngest pediatric population; and generally no eligibility for those ages 5-64 who are healthy and not high-risk. In addition, FDA revoked emergency use authorizations for the vaccines, which had included a lower-dose option for children ages 6 months to 4 years. Announcements were posted …
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The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG) has released clinical guidance for vaccination during pregnancy to protect against influenza, respiratory syncytial virus (RSV), and COVID-19—at least some of which is in contrast to what the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and Food and Drug Administration (FDA) have recently framed up for the forthcoming cold-and-flu season. Specifically, ACOG recommends that all women who are pregnant, planning to become pregnant, or nursing should receive …
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Urgent Message: Across a tristate urgent care and convenient care network, systemic steroid use occurred in nearly one-sixth of encounters (15.5%)—72.5% for likely avoidable indications and 66% for acute respiratory infections. The finding highlights the need to establish systemic steroid metrics to drive stewardship efforts. Paul Hansen, MD; Yang Wang, PhD; Muhammad Naseer, MD Abstract Background: The College of Urgent Care Medicine released a position statement advocating for corticosteroid stewardship best practices in 2022, …
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Urgent Message: Though atraumatic neck pain is a common condition in the urgent care setting, spinal epidural abscess is relatively uncommon and may present without classic symptoms, which makes it a challenging diagnosis to make. Early recognition, timely imaging, and thorough documentation are essential to prevent a devastating outcome and to mitigate medicolegal risk. Key Words: Neck Pain, Spinal Infection, Cervical Epidural Abscess, Spinal Epidural Abscess, Medicolegal Risk, Anchoring Bias Eileen Chu, MD, MS; Lucille …
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Mississippi health officials this week declared a public health emergency after new data showed the state’s infant mortality rate has soared. In 2024, 9.7 infants died for every 1,000 live births, up from 8.9 in 2023 and nearly double the national average of 5.6 deaths per 1,000 live births, according to the state. Since 2014, 3,527 infants in Mississippi have died before their first birthday. Officials say the declaration will speed up efforts to expand …
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Urgent Message: While acute gastroenteritis is typically self-limiting, inappropriate or excessive use of over-the-counter antimotility agents like loperamide can lead to serious complications—such as bowel obstruction or ileus—highlighting the critical need for patient education on safe medication use. Badi Eghterafi, DO; Nazanin Hazhir Karzar, MD Key Words: Gastroenteritis, Over The Counter Medications, Loperamide, Case Report, Bowel Obstruction Abstract Introduction: Acute gastroenteritis (AGE) is a common condition characterized by rapid-onset diarrhea, often accompanied by nausea, vomiting, …
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Using artificial intelligence (AI) to generate notes to document patient visits was linked to improvements in clinician burnout, as published in JAMA Network Open. Researchers surveyed 1,430 clinicians from 2 different health systems who used ambient documentation technology. They found physicians at Mass General Brigham reported a 21.2% absolute reduction in burnout with the tools, as the proportion of clinicians reporting burnout decreased from 50.6% to 29.4% at 42 days and from 52.6% to 30.7% …
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Emergency department (ED) visits in the United States appear to be improving when comparing length-of-stay numbers year-over-year, according to a recent analysis tracking utilization trends. The report examines visit duration in 4-quarter increments, showing the ED length of stay from Q2 2023 through Q1 2024 averaged 5 hours, compared to 4.2 hours in the period from Q2 2024 through Q1 2025. This represents a 16.2% reduction in length of stay. Meanwhile, the inpatient admission rate …
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