These data from the 2012 Urgent Care Industry Benchmarking Study are based on a sample of 1,732 urgent care centers; 95.2% of the respondents were UCA members. Among other criteria, the study was limited to centers that have a licensed provider onsite at all times; have two or more exam rooms; typically are open 7 days/week, 4 hours/day, at least 3,000 hours/year; and treat patients of all ages (unless specifically a pediatric urgent care).
Read MoreDon’t Drink the Kool-Aid
John Shufeldt, MD, JD, MBA, FACEP I did and not just a little. I guzzled the entire Jim Jones carafe full of it. I was an early electronic health record (EHR) adopter and I loved it! In fact, I still do; however, as with any Kool-Aid (particularly when it’s served in Guyana), you can’t just guzzle it and hope for the best. You have to know what is in it or else it can bite …
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Practical Considerations for Urgent Care Holiday Hours
Alan A. Ayers, MBA, MAcc is Practice Management Editor of JUCM, serves on the Board of Directors of The Urgent Care Association of America, and is Vice President of Strategic Initiatives at Experity. Urgent Message: Whether an urgent care center should be open 365 days per year or close on major or minor holidays depends upon factors that influence profitability such as patient demand, competitive positioning, staff availability, payor reimbursement, and the branding impact of …
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Man with blow to shoulder
This x-ray was taken on a man with a direct blow to his anterior shoulder. View the image taken (Figure 1) and consider what your diagnosis would be.
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Woman with pain, swelling, and warmth in wrist
This x-ray was taken on a woman with sub-acute, non-traumatic pain, swelling, and warmth in her wrist. View the image taken (Figure 1) and consider what your diagnosis would be.
Read MoreDeveloping Data: September, 2014
These data from the 2012 Urgent Care Industry Benchmarking Study are based on a sample of 1,732 urgent care centers; 95.2% of the respondents were UCA members. Among other criteria, the study was limited to centers that have a licensed provider onsite at all times; have two or more exam rooms; typically are open 7 days/week, 4 hours/day, at least 3,000 hours/year; and treat patients of all ages (unless specifically a pediatric urgent care). …
Read MoreWorkers’ Compensation, Medicare and S Codes
Q. The following example is a common occurrence in our urgent care center when billing workers compensation (WC) claims: Patient A comes to the urgent care center for treatment of injuries sustained while on the job with Employer B. Patient A says, “My boss sent me here because it was close.” Now, Patient A has no insurance, no claim number, and no authorization for treatment, just his employer’s name and a supervisor’s name. Who is …
Read MoreBayes’ Theorem and Urgent Care Medicine: Why it Matters
John Shufeldt, MD, JD, MBA, FACEP How many times have you encountered a patient who presents with an issue and tells you about a previously diagnosed condition with which he or she is having ongoing symptoms? It happens to me nearly every shift. A 35-year-old male presents with chronic back pain. He has been to your urgent care center a number of times in the past and presents again with a variation of the same …
Read MoreClinical Challenge: September, 2014
The Case This patient presented with a jammed thumb. View the images taken (Figure 1) and consider what your diagnosis would be.
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Splenic Laceration
Urgent message: Visceral injury is possible in association with the seemingly minor trauma seen in urgent care, underscoring the importance of remaining alert for “red flag” signs and symptoms and judiciously using advanced diagnostics. Introduction Blunt abdominal trauma occurs in 10% to 15% of injured children.1 History and specifically mechanism of injury, and physical exam are important when a patient presents to the clinic with a suspected blunt abdominal trauma. Usually, injuries to the intra-abdominal …
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