Industry

Urgent care has thrived by proving to be a safe, cost-effective alternative to hospital emergency rooms for nonemergent complaints. In some areas of the U.S., urgent care centers may become more than an “alternative” to care soon, though. Becker’s Hospital Review reports that 17 hospitals from New Jersey to California are cutting back on services that would surely be described as “essential” to many patients. While obstetrics and maternity seem to be the most likely …

Regular readers of JUCM and JUCM News know the United States is scrambling to a solution for a future that will, unless trends change quickly, see fewer primary care physicians than ever relative to the patient population. What has gone under the radar for the most part until now is the equally daunting challenge of running a practice with fewer nurses, medical assistants, and various technicians. In short, at a time when urgent care has …

In recognition of the likelihood that primary care physicians will be in increasingly short supply over years to come, a primary care chain in Minnesota has taken the extraordinary step of staffing its six locations exclusively with nurse practitioners. As reported in Becker’s Hospital Review, The Good Clinic may even be taking a page from the urgent care playbook by promising to see patients sooner than a traditional primary care practice can these days—though their …

In the all-hands-on-deck peak of the COVID-19 pandemic, many states cleared the way for physician assistants to take on more authority—temporarily, in order to get through the crisis. Now that things have smoothed out a bit (at least for now), PAs are pushing for at least some of those relaxed limitations to become permanent, according to an article published by Becker’s Hospital Review. The article goes on to point out that some physician groups, including …

Over the course of the COVID-19 pandemic, patients who may have previously gone to the closest hospital emergency room for nonemergent complaints simply went without care or managed to get care through other means. According to an article just published by Fierce Healthcare, margins at those hospitals have suffered accordingly, with the real threat that they’ll continue to do so thanks to patients’ new reliance on urgent care, telehealth, and other options. As a result, …

The Urgent Care Association’s Urgent Care Foundation is using its first-ever grant from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to develop programs that further the cause of antibiotic stewardship. The funds will be put toward updating the UCA/College of Urgent Care Medicine Antibiotic Stewardship toolkit, creating a 4-year industry action plan, and continuing the partnership with the Antibiotic Resistance Action Center at George Washington University. This work is especially timely in the wake of a …

A recent post to the American Medical Association’s website acknowledges that the looming physician shortage could be very problematic for patients who already have a hard time managing diabetes, hypertension, and other chronic health concerns with the help of their primary care team. The solution, the piece suggests, is greater use of “team-based care” that would include PCPs, specialists, and nonphysician clinicians (eg, nurses and pharmacists), as well as nonclinicians. The choice of settings in …

The axiom physician heal thyself might be better applied to the state of primary care medicine, if the results of a survey conducted by the Primary Care Collaborative and the Larry A. Green Center are any indication. Based on responses from 847 physicians in 49 states, it’s not a pretty picture for providers or patients. Asked to assess the state of primary care in general, 46% chose the word “crumbling” while approximately 40% said they …

Around 60 million Americans live in areas defined as “rural,” with local hospitals being the most viable option for care—assuming they can find one. That’s getting increasingly difficult, however, as illustrated in an article just published by Becker’s Hospital Review. Since 2011, 76 rural hospitals have shut down across the country, leaving too many patients in a precarious position when it comes to their healthcare. Texas leads the way with 15 closures, but 21 other …

Anyone who attended the Urgent Care Association’s recent convention in Las Vegas will tell you that the pandemic has done nothing to diminish the unified spirit among competitors in the urgent care marketplace. One of the reasons for this sense of community is the fact that the industry has had to fight for its place at the proverbial table. This does not mean the fight is over by any means. New challenges arise constantly, while …