Practice Management
Not surprisingly, seasonal influenza activity is increasing nationwide, primarily among children and young adults. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s most recent FluView dashboard reports a 5% rate of positivity for the week ending November 22, 2025, up from 2.9% the week before. Overall, activity is low, however, of the influenza A cases subtyped, H3N2 accounted for 82.3% of them. There is some concern over a variant of H3N2 called subclade K, which is …
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The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) recently authorized a new formulation of ranitidine (formerly sold as Zantac) more than 5 years after the agency called for all versions of the drug to be withdrawn because of concerns that it could degrade into a carcinogenic compound. According to the agency, it has now approved VKT Pharma’s 150-mg and 300-mg ranitidine tablets after extensive safety testing and manufacturing improvements. There are also updated, more stringent storage instructions. …
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Authorization rules released in Iowa over the summer now provide for an expanded scope of practice for pharmacists in the state, allowing them to diagnose low-risk health conditions, order labs, and prescribe medication. As a result, the Wells Hometown Drug retail pharmacy in Bloomfield, Iowa, recently opened its new walk-in clinic, led by a pharmacist who is able to see patients 6 years and older without physician oversight. The pharmacist-led model was enabled by Iowa’s …
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The healthcare industry was among the few sectors to post job gains in the most recent Bureau of Labor Statistics reporting. Healthcare added 43,000 jobs in September, keeping pace with its ongoing growth for the year. Ambulatory categories accounted for the highest gain, adding more than 23,000 positions in the market. Future forecast: Against the backdrop of the aging of America, health service demand is likely to remain high, and as a result, related job …
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The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has returned to publishing its seasonal FluView updates, reporting that for the week ending November 8, positive influenza tests are up 2% over the previous week, and 1,665 patients were admitted to hospitals with influenza. According to global reports, the mutated H3N2 flu virus is spreading faster than usual, and CDC found this subtype in more than 62% of subtyping performed for the past 2 weeks of …
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Alan A. Ayers, MBA, MAcc, President of Urgent Care Consultants and Senior Editor of JUCM. The Southeast Regional Urgent Care Association (SERUCA) 2025 conference, held November 14–15, 2025, in New Orleans, focused on urgent care’s most pressing challenges: technology, workforce well-being, and clinical quality through stewardship. This article highlights key takeaways for operators, vendors, and clinicians. Promoting Clinical Excellence Through Stewardship Stewardship was a recurring theme. In a session on antibiotic use, Steven Goldberg, MD, …
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This week, Canada lost its measles elimination status, and as a result, the “Americas” region overall no longer has its verified elimination status as designated by the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO). The Americas first gained measles-free status in 2016, lost it 2 years later, and then re-established the elimination status in 2024. As of November 7, 2025, reports show 12,596 confirmed measles cases in 10 of the region’s countries with 28 deaths (23 in …
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Despite knowing about the risks of Lyme disease when engaging in outdoor activities, less than half of families responding to a survey say they take precautionary measures to avoid tick bites, as published in Open Forum Infectious Diseases. The large survey of 44,330 American adults and 28,380 caregivers of young children shows that 88-93% of respondents say they are aware of Lyme disease, yet only 34-40% of adults and 40-42% of children’s caregivers take the …
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Kids using nicotine vape products are increasingly becoming daily users, according to a cross sectional study in JAMA Network Open. From 2020 to 2024, overall nicotine vaping among American kids in middle and high school declined, but daily use and dependence increased. In the national study of more than 115,000 youth, past-30-day vaping dropped. However, among current users, daily vaping nearly doubled—from 15.4% (95% confidence interval [CI], 13.1%-18.0%) in 2020 to 28.8% (95%CI, 26.6%-31.0%) in …
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Virginia is seeing a surge in cases of hand, foot, and mouth disease, according to the state’s department of health. Reports show steep increases in visits to urgent care and emergency departments compared to the past 3 years, reaching a peak of about 4% of visits in recent weeks. The state is tracking about 60 reported outbreaks. Additionally, the District of Columbia has reported 197 emergency department visits related to the disease in September, primarily …
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