Practice Management
Though 45 states still report “widespread cases” of influenza, the total number of new cases in the United States is down for the second week in a row, leading the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to declare that flu season has peaked. Only 5% of people visited providers complaining of flu symptoms last week, down from 6.4% the previous week. The agency cautioned that this does not mean it’s time to be less vigilant …
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The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) has recommended use of the FluMist Quadrivalent nasal spray influenza vaccine in the next influenza season. Starting 2 years ago, healthcare providers have been urged to not use that vaccine because the CDC said there was a lack of efficacy in preventing influenza. However, the new ACIP recommendation comes on the heals of a U.S. study in young children that found vaccines …
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The U.S. Food and Drug Administration will order changes to labeling information for opioid cough and cold medications to limit their use to adults aged 18 years and older. It will also require that new safety information be added to highlight the risk for addiction, abuse, overdose, and other dangerous potential side effects for all patients. Codeine-containing products like Tuxarin ER and Tuzistra ER, as well as products that contain hydrocodone (eg, Flowtuss, Rezira) will …
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Celebrities and some nutrition gurus have touted the benefits of a raw diet for years. The latest ‘raw’ trend goes way beyond fruits and vegetables, though, and has the potential to drive consumers to your urgent care center. It’s water. Raw water is untreated and unfiltered; it’s literally drawn from the earth, bottled, and sold for upwards of $15 a gallon. The problem, health-wise, is that it could be tainted with pesticides, animal waste, and …
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It’s well established (though not accepted by all patients) that getting a flu shot is the best way to reduce risk for influenza infection, and that the need to do so is especially great for older patients. New research out of Spain shows that seniors who get a flu shot every year see a cumulative benefit that helps keep them out of the hospital. The authors of the study, published in the Canadian Medical Association …
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As Alabama, Arkansas, Delaware, and New York and other states report higher incidence of flu compared with previous years, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reveals that A(H3N2) viruses are predominating this season, and has issued a summary of antiviral drug treatment recommendations. According to the agency, previous seasons in which A(H3N2) viruses were predominant were associated with more hospitalizations and deaths among older adults and young children vs other age groups. Vaccine effectiveness …
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The Food and Drug Administration unveiled a new tool designed to give urgent care physicians and other providers more timely access to updates on antibiotics and antifungal drugs this week. The overarching aim is to help clinicians anticipate when bacterial or fungal infections are likely to respond to a specific drug. Under the new approach, FDA can simultaneously update the breakpoints for multiple drugs that have the same active ingredient and share that information transparently …
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It’s relatively early in the season, but the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reports that influenza activity is already rising—and several markers are higher than normally seen this early. Four children have already died this season, and four of the CDC’s 10 regions are at or above their regional baselines. Another bad sign: Australia, whose data are often a predictor of flu severity in the U.S., just completed its worst flu season on record. …
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The parents of a Pittsburgh-area boy knew exactly what was wrong, but had no idea how serious the consequences could be. Somehow the 5-year-old dislodged a small, lithium disc battery from a fidget spinner and promptly swallowed it. The parents rushed him into the car with the intent of taking him to the emergency room, but as he became more agitated they opted for the closest urgent center. Ultimately, he needed immediate surgery to remove …
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A New York urgent care center, several of its staff members, and a company that manufactures practice devices for medical education are all being sued by a woman who claims she became serious ill by being given a nonsterile solution that was actually intended only for training purposes. The suit alleges that in December 2014 staff administered IV fluids from a practice IV bag made by Wallcur LLC instead of the proper sterile solution that …
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