Ashley Blachford, Author at Journal of Urgent Care Medicine

Patient Credit Card on File Increases Payments by 20%

Just as hotels require a credit card to cover any “incidentals,” urgent care is increasingly pre-authorizing patient credit cards at the time of service to cover any patient balances after their insurance claims adjudicate. Patient balances are often attributed to deductibles, co-insurance, or eligibility issues that can be difficult to identify at registration. Charging a patient’s credit card when an explanation of benefits is received should, in theory, reduce accounts receivable days, write-offs, and collections …

Meningococcal Vaccine Leveraged To Prevent Gonorrhea in England and Wales

A vaccine to prevent gonorrhea will soon be introduced in England and Wales as part of a targeted public health initiative—the first of its kind globally, according to health officials. Described as a “landmark moment for sexual health,” the program aims to address the rising rates of gonorrhea with preventive measures. The vaccine, originally developed to protect against meningococcal B disease, will be offered starting in early August at sexual health clinics commissioned by local …

Embracing AI in Medicine: The Role of Large Language Models in Healthcare

Consider the case of a pediatric patient who presents with recurrent sore throat, erythema, no tonsillar exudates, and a negative viral panel. The patient has a positive group A strep (GAS) PCR swab, however, was recently diagnosed with streptococcal pharyngitis a couple weeks ago and just finished a course of amoxicillin 7 days ago. Is this a false positive PCR test result? What is the next appropriate course of action? What is the overall incidence …

Lindsey E. Fish, MD, Joins JUCM as Editor in Chief

JUCM is now under the leadership of Lindsey E. Fish, MD, who serves as Editor in Chief and will guide and expand JUCM’s clinical content to advance the practice and professionalism of urgent care medicine worldwide. Fish is the Medical Director of Denver Health’s Peña Urgent Care Clinic in Denver, Colorado, a Federally Qualified Health Center urgent care clinic that delivers more than 27,000 visits per year. In her Medical Director role, she is responsible …

Debate Continues On Acuity and Coding Trends in Urgent Care

A new study suggests there has been a rise in higher acuity coding across certain outpatient services. Among urgent care centers, the proportion of visits coded at higher complexity levels (CPT 99204 and 99205) increased overall from 34.0% in 2018 to 40.6% in 2023, while visits coded at level 1 (CPT 99202) declined from 9.5% to 2.9% over the same period. The most significant increases in high-intensity coding were observed in cases involving “blood and …

Brief Report: PrEPare for Action – A Quality Improvement Project for Expanding HIV Screening in the Urgent Care Setting During the COVID-19 Pandemic

Citation: Hunt E, Greger M, Shipley N. Brief Report: PrEPare for Action – A Quality Improvement Project for Expanding HIV Screening in the Urgent Care Setting During the COVID-19 Pandemic. J Urgent Care Med. 2025; 19(9): 21-23 Download the Article PDF: Brief Report: PrEPare for Action – A Quality Improvement Project for Expanding HIV Screening in the Urgent Care Setting During the COVID-19 Pandemic Urgent Message: A quality improvement program demonstrated the successful integration of …

Rural Communities May Soon Need More Urgent Care

A recent federal budget proposal that’s floating around Washington sketches out plans to eliminate parts of the Health Resources and Services Administration and its Federal Office of Rural Health Policy (FORHP), according to a JAMA Network news article. A provisional budget outline specifically mentions eliminating 4 rural health programs meant to sustain critical access hospitals in distress with a 25% cut for FORHP’s budget in fiscal year 2026. The impact of the cuts could be …

Plenty of Clinicians Looking to Make Career Moves Within 2 Years

A recent analysis shows that job satisfaction no longer guarantees retention of clinical workers, and compensation is not the sole reason why clinicians might leave their jobs. Of the more than 730 physicians and advanced practice providers who answered a survey conducted in March 2025 by LocumTenens.com and Advisory Board, 41% say they are considering switching jobs within the next 2 years. About two-thirds say they’re satisfied with their current role, but 28% of the …

Americans See the Benefit of MMR Vaccines, Believe Their Risk of Measles is Low

Most Americans (83%) believe the measles, mumps, and rubella (MMR) vaccination has benefits that outweigh the possible risks, according to a survey from the University of Pennsylvania. Meanwhile, 83% of the 1,653 adults surveyed also say they are not worried that they or someone in their family will contract measles over the next 3 months, which makes sense considering the current rates of MMR vaccination and its high (97%) effectiveness. When asked about the current …

Ransomware And Other Hacks On The Rise For Healthcare Industry

From 2010 to 2024, healthcare data breach incidents in the United States rose significantly, with the total number of reported breaches increasing from 216 to 566—a 162% rise. Ransomware-involved cyberattacks across all Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA)-covered entities increased from 0% of breaches in 2010 to 31% in 2021. However, by 2024, ransomware attacks more recently trended down to 11% of incidents (61 of the total 566 incidents for the year). Even more …

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