Journal of Urgent Care Medicine

How Should Regulators Structure New AI Rules?

The American Hospital Association (AHA) and healthcare solution providers are chiming in on how they want federal regulators to structure their oversight of artificial intelligence and its integration into clinical care. For example, AHA suggested that regulations should rely on existing rules to smooth the path to innovation while also preempting state laws. It also wants to see AI companies required to meet compliance standards for privacy and security as HIPAA-covered entities. Additionally, AHA emphasizes …

States Look To Limit Medical Debt Wage Garnishment

Lawmakers in Colorado, Florida, Hawaii, Indiana, Maine, Michigan, Ohio, and Washington are looking to add protections for patients with unpaid medical debt by prohibiting wage garnishment for bill collection, according to MedPage Today. Proponents are concerned that some garnishment might occur for incorrect billing or that siphoning away a worker’s wages could leave low-income families without the money they need for heat, food, or housing. However, providers have concerns about accumulating bad debt that could …

Oregon Advances Measure To Set Standards For Urgent Care

The Oregon House of Representatives unanimously voted in favor of a bill that would set minimum care standards for Oregon’s urgent care clinics. Proponents describe the proposed legislation as a starting point to help patients choose an urgent care clinic appropriate for their situation because lawmakers believe there is little consistency among urgent cares in terms of the services they provide, according to local news outlet Lookout. The move is set against a backdrop of …

Proposed X-Ray Rules Heighten Radiation Protection Standards

Newly proposed legislation in Arizona aims to regulate radiation safety beyond the current federal and state standards, according to AZ Mirror. Proponents say the package represents a first-in-the-nation push focused on “radiation protection systems” for interventional x-ray. For example, it requires hospitals performing real-time x-ray procedures to install enhanced protection systems in at least 50% of their procedure rooms by July 2027, and the system must include shielding that offers protection equivalent to or better …

Ohio Aims To Update Supervision Of X-Ray Techs, Improving Access In Urgent Care

Proposed legislation in Ohio might improve x-ray staffing in urgent care, and it could also have a significant effect on urgent cares’ bottom lines. The state has been a policy outlier because Ohio requires a physician to be physically on-site to provide direct supervision for general x-ray machine operators—which doesn’t align with the reality of today’s urgent care staffing model where centers are predominantly led by nurse practitioners (NPs) and physician assistants (PAs). The bill …

Only Physicians Can Be Called “Doctor” In California

In California, a judge has ruled that nurses, nurse practitioners, and other clinical professionals with doctorate degrees cannot refer to themselves as “doctors.” Only physicians and surgeons can use the word “doctor” or the title “Dr.” before their names. The American Medical Association and other professional organizations have long held that only those with MD or DO credentials should be labeled as “doctors” to avoid confusion or misperception by patients. Who are you? This highly …

Unpaid Medical Bills Will Remain Part of Consumer Credit Reports

A federal judge has overturned a previous Biden administration rule that would have removed about $49 billion in medical debt from consumers’ credit reports. The rule until now had been caught up in court battles. Even so, last year, the 3 major credit bureaus voluntarily said they would exclude medical debts under $500 from their reporting. The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) estimated that if implemented, the rule could have erased medical debt from the …

Texas, Louisiana Mandate Nutrition CME For Clinicians

New laws in Louisiana and Texas will soon require clinicians to complete continuing medical education (CME) courses in nutrition. Under guidance of the state’s medical board, Louisiana physicians and physician assistants will be required to complete at least 1 hour of nutrition and metabolic health CME every 4 years. Physicians, nurses, dietitians, and allied health professionals in Texas who submit an application for licensure renewal will need to complete nutrition CME first. Professional boards responsible …

Two States Have Now Adopted ‘Physician Associate’ Title

Maine this month enacted legislation to change the professional title typically known as “physician assistant” (PA) to “physician associate.” It is the second state to do so; Oregon adopted the physician associate designation in April 2024. A 2-year advocacy campaign led by the Maine Academy of Physician Associates helped to influence the change, according to a press release. Nationally, the American Academy of Physician Associates (AAPA) voted in 2021 to adopt “physician associate” as the …

Mississippi’s Expanded Scope of Practice Bill Will Not Move Forward

In Mississippi, the House of Representatives passed a bill in February that would have allowed advanced practice nurses (APRNs) to treat patients without a collaboration agreement with a physician after accruing 8,000 hours of experience. However, the bill and another similar bill ultimately didn’t reach a vote before the legislative session ended earlier this month. The American Medical Association and the Mississippi State Medical Association lobbied against this expansion in scope of practice for APRNs …

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