Practice Management
We’ve read a lot lately about the prospect of social isolation due to the COVID-19 pandemic raising incidence of depression, anxiety, substance abuse, and other behavioral concerns in the general public. Looking back farther, you may recall a handful of urgent care operators trying to develop a line of behavioral services in their communities. Could the current public health crisis serve as a conduit to finally get such initiatives off the ground? Freeman Health System …
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We’ve told you recently that the Urgent Care Association is involved in both lobbying and public advocacy to advance the cause of urgent care operators in regard to COVID-19 testing and immunization. They’ve been successful enough in raising the industry’s profile that UCA is now assisting some local health departments with strategizing vaccine rollout to healthcare workers—but they’re asking for your help to move the ball even further down the field. The Association has developed …
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Both the Pfizer and Moderna COVID-19 vaccines seem to be eliciting a higher-than-expected rate of anaphylaxis, according to an article just published by Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report. While the rate of allergic reaction is roughly 10 times greater than it is for flu vaccine, the authors conclude that the incidence could still be called “rare” (21 cases out of 1.9 million doses given as of December 23, 2020) and that the benefits of receiving …
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We told you recently about the “new,” more contagious variant of COVID-19 causing illness in the United Kingdom. Less than 2 weeks later, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has confirmed multiple U.S. cases caused by the same variant. It’s also been found in Canada, as well as numerous other countries. Further, it’s been revealed that the variant was actually identified in London back in September. While disease caused by this variant has not …
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Once the celebration over the arrival of COVID-19 vaccines died down, it didn’t take long for questions to arise over whether the regimen laid out was really the best one. An ongoing resurgence of cases led some experts to question whether it might not be wise to spread out the two-shot sequence, conjecturing that delaying the second shot might allow for more people to receive their first dose earlier. That prospect is being debated in …
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Use of e-cigarettes and similar devices, a practice collectively known as vaping, was promoted early on as a “safer” alternative to traditional tobacco smoking or a way to help smokers wean themselves off the habit. Urgent care providers now know that’s far from the truth, as vaping has been blamed for a slew of serious health problems. The somewhat good news is that an upward trend in the number of U.S. adolescents who vape may …
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Now more than ever, parents are mindful of where they bring their children for medical care—especially for immediate concerns like minor injuries and run-of-the-mill illness. The last thing they’ll want to do is sit for hours in the emergency room among patients who might be presenting with symptoms of COVID-19. If your urgent care center has a reputation for being child-friendly, it’s likely they’ll come your way. If not…well, they just might end up at …
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Urgent care was overlooked by public health entities at the outset of the COVID-19 pandemic—but the College of Urgent Care Medicine and the Urgent Care Association are fighting to ensure that never happens again. That’s of critical importance as cases continue to rise in various parts of the country and the vaccine continues to roll out. Most recently, UCA got in touch with every state vaccination administrator and/or governor’s public health advisor to advocate on …
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It’s been presumed—but not confirmed or quantified—that there’s a window of protection from further infection after an individual recovers from COVID-19. This is especially important when it comes to the healthcare workers who provide care for patients, including the invaluable team members in your urgent care center. Now data published online by The New England Journal of Medicine offers a glimmer of good (and validated) news, however: Antibodies protect most healthcare workers from reinfection for …
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In the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic last spring, many emergency rooms were slammed with patients who either had COVID-19 or were terrified they could have it. And while urban, hospital-aligned urgent care centers saw similar crippling volumes, many others had empty waiting rooms as patients who had relatively minor concerns stayed home out of fear they’d be exposed to the virus. Now as 2021 dawns there’s a greater understanding of who is really …
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