Practice Management
Urgent message: Patients with imminently life-threatening conditions can present to an urgent care appearing to be in good health or even with a viable alternative explanation for their symptoms. It is important to be vigilant for red flags of serious illness. ARASH MIRZAIE, MS4, and MICHAEL WEINSTOCK, MD Headache is one of the most common presenting complaints in ambulatory settings. Urgent care providers must rapidly evaluate and diagnose a variety headache types in a time-limited …
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Urgent message: The possibility of ear infection is the most common reason parents seek care for their young children during viral upper respiratory infections with fever. Urgent care providers should know the new criteria for making the clinical diagnosis and how to use technology such as an acoustic otoscope before concluding that antibiotics are necessary. MICHAEL E. PICHICHERO, MD Diagnosing acute otitis media (AOM) is a visual process based on viewing the eardrum and determining …
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Urgent message: As the incidence of tick bites increases, it is imperative for urgent care physicians to be able to recognize various species of ticks and the symptoms of tick-borne illnesses and to know what to do when a patient presents with a tick bite. TOYIN FAPOHUNDA-ADEKOLA, MD, MBA Lyme disease is the most common tick-borne infection in the United States (Figure 1) and Europe. With a total of 279,509 cases reported between 2003 and …
Read MoreIt’s easy to think that all the steps we physicians and advanced practice providers must take before we are professionals make us great. After all, doesn’t everyone admire our impressive signature with its collection of professional certifications at the end? Not so fast. Greatness is not conferred or bestowed by degrees or certifications, and often it isn’t officially recognized. Instead, greatness is practiced, like yoga or karate. It is never a final achievement; it is …
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Urgent message: Diarrheal illness presents with varying degrees of severity and a broad range of etiologies. The urgent care center provider’s ability to gather key information from the medical history and physical examination, determine when laboratory testing is beneficial, and recognize indications for treatment is essential for the effective and efficient treatment of this common symptom. NATHAN M. FINNERTY, MD, and MICHAEL WEINSTOCK, MD Introduction Diarrheal illness is a common presenting complaint to all urgent care centers. In the United …
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Urgent message: Urgent care centers are encouraged to meet best practices for communication during transitions of care. Partnering with pharmacists may optimize medication therapy for patients, helping fulfill these best practices. JENNIFER A. FLAVIN, PharmD, CHRISTOPHER G. GREEN, PharmD, STEPHANIE C. COOK, DO, and STUART J. BEATTY, PharmD, BCACP Objective: This study aimed to (1) evaluate the impact of a pharmacist-provided comprehensive medication review (CMR) service on medication therapy appropriateness, safety, efficacy, and adherence for …
Read MoreAs we head into a new year at JUCM, our tenth, it is a natural time to reflect on our journal’s history and our goals for the future. Just being able to celebrate a 10th anniversary is nothing short of a miracle. Medical publishing has been in transition for some time, and the number of traditional journals is decreasing. Information, even complex clinical information, is now available with the click of a button. Considering the …
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Urgent message: Obtaining a detailed medical history is paramount for the early detection and treatment of Rocky Mountain spotted fever. Failure to acquire adequate patient information can lead to misdiagnosis and delayed treatment of this potentially life-threatening disease. WHITNEY CRAMER, PA-C Many dermatologic conditions such as rashes and eczema are encountered by urgent care providers on a daily basis. Often these conditions are diagnosed as contact dermatitis or are misdiagnosed, or the patient is referred …
Read MoreSEAN M. McNEELEY, MD Family Members Are Most Frequent Cause of Pertussis in Children Younger Than 1 Year Key point: Be sure to suggest adding a pertussis vaccine to tetanus whenever possible. Citation: Skoff TH, Kenyon C, Cocoros N, et al. Sources of infant pertussis infection in the United States. Pediatrics. 2015;136:636–641. Despite recent efforts to increase the number of U.S. adults whose immunizations are current, pertussis still is a frequent problem for children younger …
Read MoreCase A 56-year-old woman presents after a fall onto her outstretched hand. She has pain with range of motion of the wrist. She has no associated numbness or weakness and reports no other injuries. View the image taken (Figure 1) and consider what your diagnosis would be.
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