Practice Management
Under the “Live Healthy” initiative proposed by Florida lawmakers in early December, every hospital emergency department (ED) would need to create a plan for handling patients who present with non-emergent conditions and/or for those who do not have access to a primary care physician. The aim of the proposed legislation is to divert non-emergent ED visits to urgent care or primary care, thus saving ED resources and encouraging less costly preventive care. If passed, the rules would …
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Sesame, a virtual and in-person primary care provider with direct-pay pricing, has now added the ubiquitous doctor’s note to its list of services. In the company’s press release, it clearly draws competitive battle lines in the market by calling out urgent care as an option that “is quite expensive” for patients who need to obtain doctor’s notes for work or school. Sesame offers the notes free of charge with paid consultations, which start at $30. …
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Sentara Health has acquired full ownership of Velocity Urgent Care, according to a press release. The hospital system has been operating Velocity as a joint venture for more than 6 years, and with the acquisition, has plans to open a new location in Elizabeth City, North Carolina, early next year. With nearly 200 employees, the Velocity network of centers currently serves patients in 17 locations in Virginia. The integration aims to enhance patient access and …
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In late November, New Jersey lawmakers proposed Bill A5731, which amends one of the state’s statutes. The bill would mandate that providers in urgent care centers have degrees and qualifications equal to those required for hospital emergency department providers. The category would encompass all licensed professionals, including physicians, physician assistants, nurses, and nurse practitioners. The bill broadly defines “urgent care facility” as a health center offering episodic, walk-in care for non-life-threatening conditions. If passed, the …
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LinkedIn has launched new features specifically aimed at helping nursing professionals refine job search filters on the social media site so they can find jobs more specific to their licensing and clinical specialties. Nurses can also filter job postings by shift and schedule. By sifting through the many open positions more precisely, LinkedIn aims to make a better match not only for qualifications but also for the preferences of the 3 million job-hunting nurses that …
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Amazon recently made headlines by offering One Medical 24/7 on-demand virtual care access and limited brick-and-mortar office access for Prime members for a rock-bottom price of just $9 a month. After investing $3.9 billion in the concierge platform for primary care, Amazon has yet to gain the traction it needs to realize a return, many observers believe. While urgent care operators are absorbing the chatter around Amazon and likely struggle to process the real-world threat …
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A high-level view of the urgent care landscape in the New York Times last week cited not only the urgent care market’s growth but also its benefits. The news item calls out the 60% increase in patient visits from 2019 to 2020 as well as the impressive revenue projections for this year—estimated at $48 billion. CityMD’s chief medical officer explains in the interview with NYT how patients seeking services at an urgent care center can be …
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Forward, a primary care provider that touts its foundational belief that “healthcare should be a product, not a service,” has revealed its latest project: self-serve CarePods that rely on apps and artificial intelligence (AI) for health screenings. Resembling the private, closet-like lactation rooms offered at some airports, these AI-based modules are setting up shop in offices, malls, and gyms. With an initial launch in San Francisco, New York, Chicago, and Philadelphia, Forward’s CarePods require a …
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Urgent care centers and emergency departments (EDs) in Cook Children’s Medical Centers in Fort Worth and Prosper, Texas, are grappling with a sudden surge in RSV, influenza, and COVID-19. According to the medical center’s website, the hospitals are overwhelmed, struggling to accommodate infants with severe RSV cases. Last week, of the more than 800 RSV tests conducted, 29% were positive, while COVID-19 positivity stood at 4%. The medical center’s urgent care centers see about 800 …
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Antibiotic Awareness Week begins November 18. The Urgent Care Association, the College of Urgent Care Medicine (CUCM), and the Urgent Care Foundation (UCF) are promoting antibiotic stewardship in urgent care medicine by reinforcing best-practice objectives and action points. In May 2022, UCF was awarded a grant from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) to further antibiotic stewardship. This inaugural federal award for UCF is now funding UCA and CUCM activities as part of a five-year cooperative agreement that …
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