Many physicians in urgent care face burnout. While the numbers are probably far less than our emergency medicine colleagues, the burdens of productivity, quality, patient satisfaction, employee satisfaction, and risk management can weigh heavily on urgent care physicians, and with time, take the joy out of practicing. This is the first in a series of editorials providing practical tips for reducing “urgent care fatigue syndrome.” Let’s start with an approach to managing patients who are …
Read MoreDeveloping Data: January, 2007
Clinical Challenge: January, 2007
S Codes (S9088 and S9083) in Urgent Care
The urgent care practitioner may not live by coding alone, but proper reimbursement depends on it. To that end, Dr. David Stern, who is in great demand as a speaker and consultant on coding in urgent care, will offer answers to commonly asked questions in every issue of JUCM. In this issue, he delves into the sometimes confusing realm of the S codes. Q.What is an S code? A.S codes are a set of Healthcare …
Read MoreManaging Your Practice, Caring for Your Patients
Urgent message: The challenge of running a successful business can be daunting for any entrepreneur. It’s especially tough when your first priority is maintaining excellence as a clinician. The right approach to financial issues can help your business run smoothly—and profitably—while allowing you to focus on caring for patients. Ask an urgent care physician-owner what the biggest financial obstacle he or she faces is and the answer is likely to be “declining reimbursements.” But what …
Read MoreRight Hip Pain on 3-year-old Girl
A 3-year-old girl presents to the urgent care center with right hip pain. She has no fever, and the parents report there was no trauma. The child has a limp and reproducible pain on external rotation of the right hip. White blood count is 11,900 with 40.7% lymphs. The erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR) is 3 mm/hour. The x-ray (Figure 1) shows fluid around the right hip joint; this finding was confirmed by ultrasound. View the …
Read MoreAcute Pericarditis in a 12-Year-Old Girl
M.J. is a 12-year-old African American female who presented with trouble “taking a breath” which was abrupt in onset, starting two hours prior to presenting and accompanied with abdominal pain and fatigue which resolved prior to her visit. Dyspnea was constant and not related to position. There were no alleviating or aggravating factors. Observations and Findings Patient was alert and in no distress and spoke in full sentences. Pmhx: bronchitis one year prior; no asthma, …
Read MoreOn Injured Skaters, Diverticulitis, Fluticasone vs. Oral Prednisolone, and NT-proBNP
Differences in the Risk Associated with Head Injury for Pediatric Ice Skaters, Roller Skaters, and In-Line Skaters Citation: Knox CL, Comstock RD, McGeehan, et al. Pediatrics. 2006;118:549-554. URL: http://pediatrics.aappublications.org/cgi/content/-abstract/118/2/549?etoc Key point: Ice skating carries a greater risk of head and facial injuries than roller or in-line skating. The goals were to describe the epidemiologic features of pediatric skating-related injuries sustained from 1993 to 2003 and to compare ice skating-related injuries with roller skating- and in-line …
Read MoreThe Power of Research
Medical progress is driven by research. Opinions must be continuously challenged in order to assure the greatest likelihood of efficacy, quality, and safety. Over the last century, research has focused on examining the innovative diagnostic and therapeutic approaches to disease and prevention that form the backbone of clinical medicine as we know it today. While science continues to make expansive strides along multiple clinical fronts, a new area of research interest evolves: Let’s call it …
Read More
Managing Your Practice, Caring for Your Patients
Urgent message: The challenge of running a successful business can be daunting for any entrepreneur. It’s especially tough when your first priority is maintaining excellence as a clinician. The right approach to financial issues can help your business run smoothly—and profitably—while allowing you to focus on caring for patients. Kevin J. Ralofsky, MBA, Founder of MedCapital and Treasurer of the Urgent Care Association of America Ask an urgent care physician-owner what the biggest financial obstacle …
Read More