Practice Management
As JUCM News has reported, rates of influenza are increasing across the United States and across age groups at a very precarious time, with rates of COVID-19 also on the rise. The passage of another week brings more of the same, as the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, as well as regional and national media, are reporting that the climb continues but also sharing insights as to what’s fueling it. One of key culprits …
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New data out of the United Kingdom confirm what has been presumed (and been concerning): The two-dose regimen of vaccination against COVID-19 is insufficient to protect against the Omicron variant. This isn’t surprising, given the fact that so many people are vaccinated but cases are climbing around the world, including in the United States. However, the University of Oxford researchers did not find evidence that infection with Omicron led to increased risk for severe disease, …
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Recognizing that urgent care centers provide excellent, cost-effective care efficiently and safely (and that this flu season could be especially perilous), the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs is recommending that vets who participate in the VA health system visit their local UC center to get a no-cost flu shot. Urgent care operators can ensure they’re on the radar by taking the following steps, outlined by the VA: Determine which Community Care Network (CCN) region you …
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The success of vaccinations against much older viruses has been part of the rallying cry for people trying to convince others that it is not only wise, but the responsible thing to do to get vaccinated against COVID-19. Unfortunately, we collectively seem to have forgotten that we can’t afford to let vigilance lapse once we think we’ve tamed a virus. We could be at a precarious point with measles right now, for example. The past …
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A year ago at this time, fear was high that the United States would be hit with a “twindemic” of influenza and COVID-19. It never materialized, largely due to the fact that measures taken to protect ourselves from the SARS-CoV-2 virus (social distancing, frequent handwashing, wearing a face cover, etc.) had the unintended benefit of keeping flu activity low. This year, however, with many people vaccinated against COVID-19 and letting other measures slide, we might …
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While patients with asthma were not found to be at greater risk for COVID-19 or poor outcomes with the virus early on in the pandemic, it now appears that children with asthma are more likely to wind up in the hospital if they become infected. In fact, according to an article published in MedPage Today, a retrospective study of approximately 750,000 children (5 to 17 years of age) in Scotland showed a greater than sixfold …
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Just last week we shared a story illustrating how poor access to multiple healthcare options, especially urgent care, can leave rural and tertiary communities with few choices other than the emergency room and, consequently, vulnerable to exorbitant bills for nonemergent problems. Fast Pace Urgent Care apparently recognized this as well, as it recently announced acquisition of a certified rural health provider with 15 walk-in clinics. JUCM has been tracking the opportunities that could exist for …
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In a perfectly balanced system, patients who have nonemergent complaints would hop in the car and walk through the doors of an urgent care center shortly thereafter (and, most likely, be back home within the hour). If they truly had a more severe issue, they could go to a hospital emergency room uncluttered with people who don’t really need to be there. That ideal doesn’t necessarily reflect the actual options of many patients, however, as …
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Too many patients are telling the media that they refuse to get vaccinated against COVID-19 because “it doesn’t work,” pointing to the growing number of breakthrough cases as justification. While it’s true that the number of confirmed cases in patients who are fully vaccinated continues to increase (and is likely to grow more steeply now that the Omicron variant is spreading around the globe), the associated death rate is simply not keeping pace. In fact, …
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Just a week after news of the Omicron variant of COVID-19 in South Africa and other African first emerged, cases were confirmed in a growing number of other countries around the world—including, most recently, the United States. At this point no deaths attributed to Omicron have been reported, but the fact that it is heavily mutated means widespread infection is likely, with “severe consequences” according to the World Health Organization. While several countries are imposing …
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