Ashley Blachford, Author at Journal of Urgent Care Medicine

Urgent Care Leaders Promote Antibiotic Awareness Week

Antibiotic Awareness Week begins November 18. The Urgent Care Association, the College of Urgent Care Medicine (CUCM), and the Urgent Care Foundation (UCF) are promoting antibiotic stewardship in urgent care medicine by reinforcing best-practice objectives and action points. In May 2022, UCF was awarded a grant from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) to further antibiotic stewardship. This inaugural federal award for UCF is now funding UCA and CUCM activities as part of a five-year cooperative agreement that …

Cyberattacks Hit Healthcare The Worst

The federal government is getting more involved in healthcare cybersecurity, and its efforts can’t come soon enough. Last year alone, cyberattacks increased 86%, amounting to an average of 1,410 attacks per organization per week, according to the Journal of AHIMA. A new federal project is designed to discover best-performing technologies used for national security and apply them to healthcare. Six projects led by universities and tech research companies were awarded $50 million by the Department …

Hospitals With Highest ED Volume

While every clinician working in an emergency department (ED) probably feels like their facility is the busiest around, Becker’s Hospital Review recently compiled self-reported data to create a list of hospitals with the highest volume of ED visits in the nation. The Parkland Health and Hospital System in Dallas took the top spot with 226,178 emergency department visits in 2022, followed by Lakeland Regional Medical Center in Florida at 199,927 visits and Multicare Good Samaritan …

Ketamine Use Concerns Clinicians

As clinicians aim to reduce their reliance on opioid painkillers, prescriptions for ketamine have seen a surge. What’s most worrisome is that many of the prescriptions originate from telehealth services, according to an Associated Press news article. This raises alarm among experts about the risks of writing prescriptions for non-approved uses, overprescribing, and the associated abuse potential—not unlike the factors that contributed to the ongoing opioid crisis. Research led by a Duke University pain specialist …

Rising Congenital Syphilis Trend Could Be Prevented

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recently reported a surge in congenital syphilis cases in the United States over the past decade, with a 755% increase from 2012-2021. In 2022, there were 3,761 reported cases, leading to an increase in stillbirths, infant mortality, and severe birth defects. Most of these cases could have been prevented if mothers had received adequate testing and treatment, says the CDC. The issue disproportionately affects certain populations with …

Financial Health Still Tenuous Since the Pandemic

Twelve percent of clinicians health executives say they remain pessimistic about their organizations ever fully restoring their financial health to prepandemic levels, according to a report by NEJM Catalyst that was analyzed by Becker’s Hospital Review. The revelation has raised concerns within the healthcare industry. Despite an increase in patient volumes, 54% of respondents (health systems, clinics, physician organizations, or other facilities) reported that their organization’s financial health was somewhat or significantly worse than before …

EM Residency Positions Go Unfilled

An analysis in STAT News found a recently developed disconnect between interest in the field of emergency medicine and the number of available residency spots. The number of applications has exceeded the number of positions historically with more than enough applicants throwing their hats in the ring from 2008 to 2022. However in recent months, the trend has reversed. Now, as the analysis shows, the number of applications has dropped well below the number of …

Infant Mortality Increases By 3%

In 2022, the United States saw a 3% increase in the infant mortality rate, which represents the most significant rise in two decades. The national infant mortality rate climbed from 5.44 per 1,000 live births to 5.6 per 1,000, as reported by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Although it appears as a seemingly small increase, it’s the first statistically significant jump since the rise recorded between 2001-2002. Notably, the rise in infant mortality …

A Love Letter

Dear Urgent Care, I remember the day we first met. It was a long-ago Christmas Eve early in the morning, and I had awakened with a terribly sore throat. I was despondent, knowing no one would be willing to take care of me on the holiday, which meant it wouldn’t be a very merry one for me. Then, there you were. In a brick building on a well-traveled highway, your lights were on and your …

Broader Issues Surround ‘Work Note Seeking’

Joshua Russell, MD, MSc, FCUCM, FACEP Who among us has worked a single urgent care (UC) shift without at least one patient making a humble request for a sick note to take back to work? “Can I have a work note?” It’s a simple ask. In fact, apart from medication refills, work note visits rank among the most welcomed presentations for many overworked clinicians, offering a much-needed mental reprieve and a chance to finally catch up …

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