Practice Management
As of February 19, 2026, there were 982 confirmed measles cases reported in the United States for the year so far, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)—a high case count for a year that is barely 2 months in. By comparison, there were a total of 2,280 cases through all of 2025. Public health leaders and clinicians are facing 5 new outbreaks this year in at least 26 states. Health departments …
Read More
In 1990, 19.3% of American adults were considered obese. By 2022, the prevalence had increased to 42.5% of adults. Now researchers are predicting that by 2035, the percentage of adults who are obese will increase to 46.9%, as published in JAMA. Obesity is defined as a body mass index (BMI) of 30 or higher, although there are many who challenge the 200-year-old measure because it doesn’t translate well across different races, ethnicities, and genders. The …
Read More
New analysis from the Health Care Cost Institute (HCCI) found that urgent care utilization is increasing, reducing demand that might otherwise fall to emergency departments (EDs). From 2018 to 2022, urgent care utilization among people with employer-sponsored insurance increased 34.5% over the 5-year period from 90 visits per 1,000 people in 2018 to 156 visits per 1,000 in 2022. At the same time, ED visit rates declined by 2.5% from 176 visits per 1,000 people …
Read More
At least 35 people have been sickened in a histoplasmosis outbreak in Tennessee in the past 3 months with 1 potentially related death, according to state health officials and a local news report. The Tennessee Department of Health has not found a clear source of exposure but warns the Histoplasma fungus is commonly found in soil throughout the state, making it difficult to prevent exposure. People with weakened immune systems are at a higher risk …
Read More
Advanced practice professionals (APPs) in the University of Michigan Health−Sparrow network have voted in favor of unionizing. The network includes at least 5 urgent care centers, according to its website. The new union local covers 213 nurse practitioners (NPs), physician assistants (PAs), and certified nurse midwives employed by the health system. A representative told the local Lansing State Journal that having a union means being able to negotiate for the best patient care practices. Overall, …
Read More
Just as high flu activity has patients and providers on edge, the American Society of Health-System Pharmacists(ASHP) is noting a drug shortage of some types of oseltamivir oral capsules and powders. Likewise, GoodRx data through January 20, 2026, shows a peak of oseltamivir fills in the last week of December 2025, followed by a more recent drop, possibly indicating that the medications could be in short supply and/or indicating fewer prescriptions overall. Federal agencies state …
Read More
A retrospective analysis in JAMA Network Open examined trends in maternal syphilis infections in Mississippi from 2013–2023 and found that during the 10-year period, infections increased from 86 cases per 100,000 births to 1,016 cases per 100,000 births. The overall rise was 1,088%. Among the 1,421 pregnant women with syphilis included in the study, gaps in prenatal care were common: 34% lacked first-trimester care and 4.5% received no prenatal care. Analysis showed a sustained average …
Read More
Medical school enrollment is hitting a new high for the 2025-2026 academic year, according to the Association of American Medical Colleges. For the first time, total enrollment has topped 100,000 students, and the total number of medical school applicants rose by 5.3%, reversing a 3-year decline. Except for a 1-year increase in 2021-2022 during the COVID-19 pandemic, the new figures represent the largest gain in a decade, the association says. First-time applicants comprised 76.5% of …
Read More
Some 80 clinicians at Legacy Health recently announced 2-day solidarity strikes to show support for 140 of their coworkers—represented by the Oregon Nurses Association—who are already on an open-ended strike that started on December 2, according to the Oregonian. As of press time, about 50 nurse practitioners and physician assistants at Legacy-GoHealth Urgent Care clinics were committed to a strike during the holiday week as were 30 pediatric advanced practice providers who work at Randall …
Read More
Responding to increasing demand for radiology technologists, ExpressCare Urgent Care Centers in Maryland launched a new Limited X-Ray Machine Operator (LXMO) Program earlier this year and has now graduated its first 9 students. The program offers medical assistants with at least 1 year of experience at ExpressCare or Children’s Urgent Care the opportunity to earn certification and obtain Maryland Board of Physicians registration, according to a press release from LifeBridge Health. After successfully passing a …
Read More