DAVID STERN, MD (Practice Velocity) Q.We have so many MRSA (methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus) I&Ds (incision and drainage). The follow-up for changing the packing are numerous and time-consuming, and it feels wrong to have them just included in the global procedure like any other wound check or suture removal. What’s the right way to handle this? Annie Miranda, Hopewell Junction, NY A. This is a complicated question. To code these procedures, you can consider using the …
Read MoreDeveloping Data: March, 2012
These data from the 2010 Urgent Care Benchmarking Survey are based on responses of 1,691 US urgent care centers; 32% were UCA members. The survey was limited to “full-fledged care centers” accepting walk-ins during all hours of operation; having a licensed provider and x-ray and lab equipment onsite; the ability to administer IV fluids and perform minor procedures; and having minimal business hours of seven days per week, four hours per day. The 2010 survey …
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Buy or Lease Your Next Urgent Care Site?
Urgent message: After location, how to pay for an urgent care site is crucial to your success. Here’s how to think it through. MICHAEL ZELNIK, CCIM Once you’ve found the right location for your next urgent care (see An Urgent Care Site That Maximizes Revenue, JUCM, September 2011), your focus can turn to analyzing the risks and benefits of leasing or purchasing property in the trade area you’ve identified. This analysis should be more than …
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Ureterolithiasis: Leaving No Stone Unturned
Urgent message: Symptoms from stones in the ureter can mimic other conditions, making for a diagnostic dilemma in urgent care. Imaging is the key to accurate assessment and appropriate treatment. WILLIAM GLUCKMAN, DO, MBA, FACEP and KATE ABERGER, MD Ureterolithiasis, which literally translates to stones in the ureter, is sometimes referred to improperly as “kidney stones,” which are properly known as nephrolithiasis. Although stones do form within the kidney, they do not typically cause acute …
Read MoreThe Ruckus About ‘RUC’
Lee A. Resnick, MD, FAAFP Perhaps you are unaware about the secretive, biased way that physician reimbursement is determined in this country. Perhaps you would be surprised to learn that the committee tasked with these determinations is composed of only 2 primary care physicians … out of 29 members! Perhaps you didn’t know that their recommendations are unregulated and largely given a rubber stamp by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS). Perhaps you …
Read MoreAbstracts in Urgent Care: March, 2012
Symptoms May Say Sinusitis, But Scans Disagree Key point: Infection and even inflammation were not reliably present in the scans of patients with classic sinusitis symptoms. Citation: Ferguson BJ, Narita M, Yu VL, et al. Prospective observational study of chronic rhinosinusitis: Environment triggers and antibiotic implications. Clin Infect Dis. 2010; 54(1): 62-68. (http://dx.doi.org/10.1093/cid/cir747) Chronic sinusitis can be difficult to diagnose precisely and sometimes even more difficult to treat. Increasingly, experts are suggesting that antibiotics may …
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February 2012
Oral and Facial Injuries in Urgent Care
Urgent message: For patients, cosmesis is often the top priority. But for clinicians, ruling out serious or life-threatening injury is paramount. Sean McNeeley, MD Introduction Patients with oral and related facial injuries often present to urgent care providers. Consider JT. He is 25-year-old male who was taken to an urgent care clinic by his friends after falling while mountain biking near his Ohio home. His friends were concerned because the hill was steep, and although …
Read MoreDeveloping Data: February, 2012
These data from the 2010 Urgent Care Benchmarking Survey are based on responses of 1,691 US urgent care centers; 32% were UCA members. The survey was limited to “full-fledged urgent care center” accepting walk-ins during all hours of operation; having a licensed provider and x-ray and lab equipment onsite; the ability to administer IV fluids and perform minor procedures; and having minimal business hours of seven days per week, four hours per day. In this …
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