Practice Management
An expected holiday rush moved Baptist Health Madisonville (Alabama) to implore area residents to try urgent care for medical needs that might not warrant a trip to its emergency room. Kristy Quinn, the hospital’s marketing and public relations director, says high traffic times like the early-winter holidays make it difficult for the hospital to treat low-acuity cases that could be handled safely in the urgent care setting. “If people can evaluate what they are coming …
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The growth of telemedicine in urgent care and other settings is helping feed greater access to nurse practitioners and physician assistants. Relaxed scope of practice laws in both red and blue states, as well as evolving digital health technology that exploits the popularity of smartphones and tablets, make it easier and less expensive for patients to connect online—a model that typically employs NPs and PAs under the supervision of an on-site physician. This is further …
Read MoreThe 100 largest urgent care operators in the United States run approximately 25% of the locations under their banners, according to research by Practice Velocity and National Urgent Care Realty. They’re getting even bigger, too; the number of locations owned by the companies on the list expanded by about 20% this year. While ownership was once delineated between hospital-affiliated and independents, several multi-unit operators now operate in some (but not all) of their markets as …
Read MoreA new year always brings changes, and CPT is not excluded. On January 1, 2017 you will want to take note of CPT code changes that will affect your billing. Imaging Guidance Codes with Puncture Aspiration If guidance is used for needle placement when performing puncture aspiration CPT code 10160, “Puncture aspiration of abscess, hematoma, bulla, or cyst,” coders are directed to the imaging guidance codes: 76492, “Ultrasonic guidance for needle placement (eg, biopsy, aspiration, …
Read MoreCase A 19-year-old man presents to urgent care with a 5-day history of a dry cough. He says he has “felt warm” but didn’t think to check his temperature. He also complains that he has been weak, with a decreased appetite. He notes that his girlfriend had an upper respiratory infection a couple of weeks ago, but other than that he’s had no exposure to anyone who’s been sick. He has not traveled anywhere recently, …
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Urgent message: Quadriceps tendon tears are misdiagnosed frequently, leaving patients at excessive risk for long-term disability. Early identification and immediate referral for further care—often, surgery—is necessary for optimal outcomes. Low-riding patella (patella baja) commonly seen in complete tendon tears. (Photo courtesy of Wikimedia Commons.) Introduction Musculoskeletal injuries are among of the most common problems seen in the urgent care setting. Quadriceps tendon tears are uncommon injuries, with an incidence of approximately 1.4/100,000 per year. Consequently, …
Read MoreHow Much Time with the Physician is “Enough” Time? Key point: Length of time with a provider may not be related to patient experience. Citation: Elmore N, Burt J, Abel G, et al. Investigating the relationship between consultation length and patient experience: a cross-sectional study in primary care. Br J Gen Pract. 2016;66(653):e896-e903. This study documented the length of stay for 529 patients who were seen by a primary care physician. Patients were then asked to fill out a survey about …
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MultiCare has formally taken over 16 urgent care locations previously owned and operated the The Ensign Group. The deal includes 14 existing Immediate Clinic Seattle centers, all located in the in the Seattle area, plus two more that are under development. Coming on the heels of its sale of Integrity Urgent Care locations in Colorado earlier this year, the MultiCare transaction effectively has Ensign exiting the urgent care arena altogether. MultiCare, on the other hand, …
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A federal judge in Texas granted a temporary restraining order against federal health officials who may seek to enforce rules that ban discrimination by physicians and hospitals against transgender patients. The judge says he based his decisions on the grounds that compelling doctors to support patients who have either completed or are currently transitioning could equate to forcing doctors to violate their own religious beliefs. Kansas, Kentucky, Nebraska, and Wisconsin joined Texas in the suit, …
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Ensuring payers send you every penny you earned can seem like a daunting challenge, especially with new rules—or entire systems—coming out every year. To help you start the new year on the right track, the Urgent Care Association is hosting two webinars on January 11 and 18 to discuss the new Medicare Quality Payment Program. Each one-hour webinar is designed for physicians, physician assistants, nurses/nurse practitioners, coders/billers, and IT staff. The presenter will be Camille …
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