Practice Management
The American Hospital Association, the American College of Emergency Physicians, and the American Medical Association recently threw some serious shade at the urgent care industry. The AHA and ACEP took aim at UnitedHealthcare’s plans to review all emergency room visits among its members to assess whether they were “real” emergencies or not, and to force patients to foot the bill if it’s determined that a visit to the ED was actually nonemergent. The problem is, …
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A Philadelphia hospital is learning the hard way that even the possibility of failing to ensure adequate safety measures for its healthcare workers can have serious consequences for those workers, as well as the hospital’s own reputation and legal standing. Pennsylvania Hospital is being sued by a Resident who was assaulted by a psychiatric patient during an examination. The physician claims that his employer’s failure to install security cameras and to assess whether the patient …
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Recently, we told you about an emergency temporary standard (ETS) issued by the Occupational Safety and Health Administration to ensure the safety of healthcare workers—including your urgent care team—in the COVID-19 era. Since then, the ETS has been published in the Federal Register and the date for requiring compliance has been set at July 5. As a reminder the ETS mandates that: You conduct a hazard assessment and have a written plan to mitigate virus …
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The retail drugstore industry has worked hard to market itself as a one-stop destination for their customers’ healthcare needs, offering everything from strep tests to flu shots just steps away from the magazine rack and the candy aisle. Needless to say, they leave out the part about urgent care centers offering the same services in addition to x-rays, sutures, and many other, higher-acuity services in a purely clinical setting. This is not to say that …
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Even with caseloads remaining low in much of the U.S. and states continuing to relax protective restrictions, two realities remain inescapable as the COVID-19 pandemic continues: 1) The Delta variant is associated with approximately double the risk of hospitalization compared with the Alpha variant, per a research letter just published by The Lancet and 2) persistent refusal by residents of certain states puts us all at risk for the Delta variant to become the dominant …
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People have been shut out of so many activities for so long that they may not be aware of how prepared (or unprepared) they are for minor emergencies. Fortunately, viewers of WFMY in Greensboro, NC had the chance to be reminded of items that are essential for a summer first aid kit by Philip Lamptey, MD, medical director of Cone Health’s Urgent Care Division recently. Dr. Lamptey appeared live on one of the station’s news …
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It’s so simple that it may be impossible to resist: A PA has a follow-up question for a physician regarding Patient A right after the physician heads for her car; he shoots her a text so he can move on to the next patient. But hold on—is it a HIPAA violation if he uses his personal device? What about using cell phones or tablets to order office supplies—does that put company resources at risk? While …
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One of the knocks on development of the COVID-19 vaccines, from the public’s perspective, is that the process went so fast that people are convinced corners were cut. Many are simply afraid the vaccines aren’t safe. However, an article just published by JAMA Network indicates that the more patients are counseled on the vaccines, the more trusting and less hesitant they become. Participants in the Understanding America Study (UAS) of U.S. adults, conducted between October …
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The joy over reengaging with others and seeing local economies start to recover from the COVID-19 pandemic could be very short-lived if vaccination rates don’t increase—and soon, according to Scott Gottlieb, MD, former commissioner of the Food and Drug Administration. In an appearance on CBS’s Face the Nation, Gottlieb predicted that transmission of the Delta variant of the virus, which JUCM News readers may recall has been shown in multiple studies to be more transmissible …
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People have been separated not only from many loved ones over the past year and a half, but also from many cherished outdoor activities and adventures. Now that so many pandemic-related restrictions have been lifted, schools are out, and summer is officially here Americans are venturing out into nature again with a vengeance. The problem is, sometimes nature can be a high-risk environment. Whether they’re on or in the water, playing tennis, mountain climbing, or …
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