Clinical

Warmer weather means a lot of things in the United States—putting away the heavy coats, longer daylight hours, more time outside—but not necessarily the end of flu season, especially this year. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention just issued a new warning that even though the H1N1 strain of influenza that has dominated the 2018–2019 season is on the wane, there’s been a recent uptick in cases of the stronger H3N2 strain. During the …

You’ve read here about the advent of urgent care facilities dedicated to mental health issues. Psychiatric urgent care has not gained much traction thus far, however. That doesn’t mean such patients will stop presenting, of course. By the time patients do present due to mental health concerns, in fact, they’re likely to be in full-blown crisis or possibly in the throes of a drug-induced event. As always, the first priority is to assess the current …

The intersection of uninsured Americans and the high cost of medications is a dangerous one. One aspect that may go under-recognized amid the politicized headlines is exactly how some patients choose to cope with shortfalls or gaps in coverage. And it may affect more patients than you realize; according to new data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, around one-third of uninsured American say they did not take their medication as prescribed in …

As healthcare providers in every setting continue the fight against rampant opioid abuse and addiction—with urgent care centers often the target of drug seekers—there’s new hope that relatively simple educational initiatives could help turn the tide. In a study published in the journal Pain Medicine, 167 clinicians at the University of Washington were asked to complete an educational program on the safe and responsible prescribing of opioid medications for the management of acute pain. The …

More than 20,000 deaths in the United Sates were attributed specifically to Staph infections in 2018, according to new data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. With resistance to antibiotics being a constant threat—especially in urgent care, where patients are more likely to turn when they wake up with a sore throat—the Urgent Care Association jumped on this issue by forging partnerships to spread awareness of the dangers and educate both clinicians and …

Intermountain started trying to discourage drugseekers from preying on its urgent care centers years ago, before opioid abuse was recognized as the crisis it is today. It’s no surprise, then, that the company launched a successful internal campaign to lower the number of opioid prescriptions its providers issued. However, the 30% reduction they just announced is unsatisfactory in their own eyes, having set a goal of reducing them by 40%. So, the company has vowed …

Just as the United States House of Representatives held hearings to explore ways to encourage  more people to get vaccinated against measles—acknowledging that fear over mythical side effects makes a significant impact—a new study in Denmark provides further scientific proof that there is no link between vaccines and autism. The study, published in the Annals of Internal Medicine, focused on 657,461 children, some of whom were unvaccinated per their parents’ wishes and some of whom …

New data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention indicate that after years of decline, the number of HIV infections in the United States has pleateaued. New infections have stabilized, prompting the CDC to issue a call “for immediate action” on the part of healthcare providers, regardless of setting, to be more proactive in preventing HIV. The CDC’s report, Ending the Epidemic: A Plan for America, breaks down its recommendations into four steps: Protect …

Deaths due to accidental opioid overdoses have reached unprecedented heights. In fact, according to new data from the National Safety Council, the odds of dying of an accidental opioid overdose are greater than being killed in a car accident in the United States. The odds for death by accidental opioid overdose are now 1 in 96, compared with 1 in 103 for car accidents. Recognizing the risk even in advance of the troubling new data, …

Vermont Urgent Care has made testing for and treating sexually transmitted diseases a clinical priority in its Los Angeles neighborhood—even offering to test qualified patients at no cost. That decision is paying off with acclaim in being called out as one of the top providers of herpes testing services in the LA metro area. It started as part of a concentrated effort to expand the operation’s sexual health services. That allowed its providers to both …