Practice Management
The minute details of payer contracts can affect revenue to such an extent that they can make or break an urgent care center that’s just getting started. The Urgent Care Association will seek to help urgent care operators enter contracts that offer optimal terms during a two-part Advanced Payer Contracting Webinar this Thursday, December 6 and next Tuesday, December 11, from 1 to 2 pm, Central. After taking part in the webinar, attendees should have …
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No responsible urgent care operator would knowingly employ a clinician whose history included behavior that put patients at risk, whether that meant irresponsible prescribing, claims of inappropriate behavior, or just plain incompetence. Unfortunately, just checking that a job candidate’s CV is on point and verifying references isn’t sufficient if someone has something to hide. A new report produced by the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, USA Today, and MedPage Today tells the tale of a surgeon who …
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Urgent message: Failure to correctly diagnose and provide immediate treatment for varicella zoster virus (VZV) infection in pregnant patients can lead to life-threatening complications for the mother, and serious congenital malformations to the fetus. Samrana Arefeen, MD and Khalid Aziz, MD Introduction There are several types of skin lesions and rashes that are common during pregnancy. Some are benign and confer no risk to the expectant mother or the fetus. However, some are symptoms of …
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Urgent message: Ever since HIV pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) was approved by the FDA in 2012, urgent care centers have been offering this service in increasing numbers as a way to increase revenue and serve new patient segments. However, some healthcare professionals question whether urgent care is an appropriate venue for dispensing such a powerful medication, as it can carry with it dangerous side effects and, if misused, serious health consequences. Alan A. Ayers, MBA, MAcc …
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The patient, age 50, is a farmer who presents with flu-like symptoms—fever, chills, productive cough, myalgia, and pleuritic chest pain that developed over a few weeks. What worried him most, however, was a crusted lesion on his arm that was a large verrucous scaly plaque. View the photo and consider what your diagnosis and next steps would be. Resolution of the case is described on the next page.
Read MoreWith the volume of dissent against Maintenance of Certification (MOC) now at a fever pitch, American Board of Medical Specialties (ABMS) boards are finally making changes to their recertification programs with the intent of reducing the burden on physicians. The issue could not be more acute than in urgent care, where many UCA member physicians have been practicing for years. Working outside of their specialties of training and growing more distant from the best practice …
Read MoreThe Year in Abstracts: Top Papers of 2018 for the Urgent Care Clinician Reviewed by Andy S. Barnett, MD This has been an eventful year in the urgent care marketplace. Then again, you could say that at the end of most years in our dynamic, ever-growing industry. That begs the question, what did set 2018 apart from other years? Mergers and acquisitions, evolving technologies, and workplace trends certainly impact what you do every day. But …
Read MorePatients who heed your advice to get a flu shot and take common-sense measures to avoid spreading germs—regular, effective handwashing; cleaning common-use surfaces; staying home when they’re sick—are less likely to get the flu. That’s a given. What’s less clear in the midst of any flu season is how many of them do so (and at what point), and how effective the vaccine is for those who do receive it. The Centers for Disease Control …
Read MoreUrgent message: Whether starting a new urgent care center and entering into a lease for the first time, or evaluating, moving, closing, or selling an existing urgent care center, understanding the conditions under which its permissible—and not permissible—to break a commercial lease can save you time, money, and legal headaches . Alan A. Ayers, MBA, MAcc is Chief Executive Officer of Velocity Urgent Care, LLC and is Practice Management Editor of The Journal of Urgent …
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Case The patient is a 9-year-old girl who is brought in by her parents shortly after choking on a chicken nugget. They are concerned because even though she stopped gagging, she complains that it feels “like there’s something stuck in there.” View the images, ordered to rule out a lodged foreign body, and consider what the diagnosis and next steps would be. Resolution of the case is described on the next page.
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