Practice Management
According to a compensation survey analyzed by Beckers, physician assistants (PAs) in urgent care earn a median $154,355 in annual total cash compensation. In fact, urgent care is one of the top 10 highest paid specialties for PAs, although cardiovascular surgery claims the number 1 spot at $166,250 in annual compensation. For nurse practitioners (NPs), urgent care didn’t make the list of lucrative specialties, however, emergency medicine was ranked best for NPs at $155,556 in …
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Several urgent care workers in Santa Barbara, California, were terminated from employment recently after making controversial social media posts. Employees reportedly mocked a female patient and shared images of bodily fluids on an exam room table after the woman’s pelvic exam, according to local news reports. The social media account has since been locked and all posts were deleted. Even so, the center received a flurry of negative online reviews as a result. Policy points: …
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Healthcare organizations typically have strict dress codes for clinical staff as a way to identify who’s who. But it turns out that when a clinician wears a white coat, it affects patients’ perceptions of professionalism, trust, and communication, according to a review of 32 studies presented in BMJ Open. Patient preferences for physician attire varied significantly by clinical context, medical specialty, and physician gender, however. In primary care settings, casual attire was found to be …
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In an analysis of 1 million online Yelp reviews across 138,605 U.S. healthcare providers, researchers identified patterns and words linked to patient satisfaction by leveraging machine learning. More than 46% of the reviews were negative (1-2 stars), and 50.1% were positive (4-5 stars). The mean (SD) rating was 3.1 stars, according to the study published in JAMA Network Open. Negative feedback often cited administrative problems (such as unfair payment and poor phone interactions), and positive …
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In response to some public criticism, the Cleveland Clinic last week re-engineered a controversial policy that would have required patients to pay insurance co-pays upfront or risk having their appointments canceled on the spot. Initially set to begin June 1, the policy faced backlash from patient advocates and city officials, who warned the pay-first requirement could limit access to care for low-income families. The original pay-first policy excluded Medicaid and traditional Medicare enrollees as well …
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A recent survey reveals that scheduling a physician appointment now takes an average of 31 days—a 19% increase from 2022 and a 48% rise since 2004. Conducted in early 2025 by AMN Healthcare, the survey included 1,391 physician offices across 15 major U.S. metropolitan cities like New York, Los Angeles, and Miami, focusing on 6 medical specialties. The findings highlight community challenges for patients looking to access timely care. Wait times vary by specialty. For …
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A recent analysis shows that job satisfaction no longer guarantees retention of clinical workers, and compensation is not the sole reason why clinicians might leave their jobs. Of the more than 730 physicians and advanced practice providers who answered a survey conducted in March 2025 by LocumTenens.com and Advisory Board, 41% say they are considering switching jobs within the next 2 years. About two-thirds say they’re satisfied with their current role, but 28% of the …
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In California, Loma Linda University Medical Center-Murrieta is gaining benefits from a simple program launched late last year in partnership with the Hear Her campaign from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to support the care of new mothers. Each mother leaves the hospital with a wristband that says “I gave birth” to wear in the days and weeks after delivery so all clinicians are reminded of the need for specialized treatment should the …
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A surprising number of women—nearly 1 in 4—say they have experienced unfair or disrespectful treatment in healthcare settings within the past 2 years, according to survey results from KFF. The survey of 5,055 women and 1,191 men showed 23% of women reported recent negative interactions with providers, and 18% of men reported the same. Weight was the most commonly cited reason (15%) for perceiving disrespect or unfairness, followed by age, gender, and race. Black and …
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The American Law Institute (ALI) has introduced a new medical malpractice standard that integrates evidence-based medicine, marking a departure from the prevailing reliance on customary medical practice. This change encourages courts to consider modern medical guidelines when evaluating negligence claims, offering a more structured approach to assessing legal liability. Individual states may adopt the new standard with their own interpretation to refine legal evaluation of malpractice cases. Historically, malpractice cases have relied on whether a …
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