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 …
Read MoreAdministration Codes for Injections, Billing for Medicare Wellness Exam, Billing Joint Injections With E/Ms, Coding for Keloid Injection
DAVID STERN, MD (Practice Velocity) Q. What is the appropriate administration code for a Medicare patient who receives influenza, Pneumovax, and tetanus vaccinations? What are the proper administration codes for the same patient if he/she receives a tetanus and flu shot? Name Withheld A. For Medicare: Influenza vaccine administration is G0008 Pneumovax administration is G0009 Tetanus vaccine administration is 90471 Q. If you perform an annual Medicare wellness exam, can you bill for additional services …
Read MoreAbstracts in Urgent Care: February, 2012
Each month, Dr. Nahum Kovalski reviews a handful of abstracts from, or relevant to, urgent care practices and practitioners. For the full reports, go to the source cited under each title. Gloves Are No Substitute for Proper Hand Hygiene Key point: Healthcare workers frequently neglect hand hygiene when they use gloves. Citation: Fuller C, Savage J, Besser S, et al. “The dirty hand in the latex glove”: a study of hand hygiene compliance when gloves …
Read More‘First, Do No Harm’ But Don’t Be a Harmful Do-Nothing!
As scientists, we are trained to question through research – to pose hypotheses and test for proof. Science, however, is notoriously flawed and imperfect, and has left a trail of discarded practice standards refuted through additional study or missed statistical error. Many a medical proverb has fallen out of favor this way – but none has withstood the test of time longer than “First, do no harm.” With an almost religious favor, physicians have embraced …
Read MoreTo P.E. or not to P.E.
John Shufeldt, MD, JD, MBA, FACEP In last month’s column, I presented an overview of capital sources that can be used to fund your urgent care start-up or expansion. This month I will discuss the different sources of debt and equity capital. Much of the decision regarding which capital source is best for you is determined by your stage of development. For a startup, you will probably have to use traditional bank debt or raise …
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Telephone Interpreting: Improving Healthcare Outcomes and the Bottom Line
Urgent message: Using interpreters in the urgent care setting can help you provide quality healthcare and save time and money. Bruce Merley Imagine that it is late Friday night and you and a nurse are the last remaining staff on duty at your urgent care center. A couple arrives and the woman appears to have several facial cuts and bruises. When you greet them, the man responds in a language you do not understand. You …
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Technology in Urgent Care: Digital or Conventional Imaging?
Urgent message: More and more urgent care clinics are wrestling with whether to offer digital or conventional x-rays. In this article, Registered Technologist Trip Hale offers expert advice on how to make the decision. Trip Hale, RT, (R) Introduction For today’s urgent care clinics, imaging is an internal part of providing complete diagnostic and treatment services. Because reimbursement for diagnostic studies is lower for physician-owned than for hospital or outpatient imaging facilities, a well-planned and …
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Spontaneous Pneumothorax
Urgent message: In patients with chest pain, check chest films carefully to avoid missing an uncommon diagnosis. Joseph Toscano, MD Introduction The traditional differential diagnosis for chest pain includes spontaneous pneumothorax. Chest x-ray is necessary for confirming the diagnosis, and sometimes the findings can be subtle. As in dealing with any infrequently encountered condition, clinicians should consider the diagnosis and closely examine every chest film they order to avoid missing this uncommon diagnosis. Case Presentation …
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