Practice Management
As with all things related to the COVID-19 pandemic, the question of whether children are as prone to infection as adults—and their ability to transmit it—has been widely debated. As JUCM News readers know, there is evidence that asymptomatic children are more capable of transmitting the virus than some severely ill adults. On the other hand are data from a study just published in JAMA Pediatrics, indicating that the likelihood of younger patients infecting others …
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There’s no denying that Americans are not as free as we once were to travel around the country since the COVID-19 pandemic started. Many states have implemented rules stating that visitors from certain other states have to quarantine for a couple of weeks—or produce proof that they aren’t infected—before they’re permitted to interact with residents. While it’s debatable how enforceable those rules are, it’s certain they put a damper on plans for anything beyond essential …
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The urgent care industry got the short end of the stick in the early days of testing for COVID-19—which means urgent care patients were also left wanting for testing locations in too many areas. With the pandemic still raging and flu season approaching, the Urgent Care Association is working with the Convenient Care Association to ensure history doesn’t repeat itself when it comes to vaccination. The two organizations are trying to raise the volume on …
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Just recently, a woman in Illinois filed what is thought to be the first COVID-19-related wrongful death suit against an employer, alleging that her mother died after being infected with the virus by her father—who is believed to have gotten it at the meat-processing plant where he works. The case is being referred to in the mainstream media as a “take-home” suit, meaning illness was allegedly contracted in one location then brought home for transmission …
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One evening last week a man presented to a Columbus, OH urgent care center after an altercation in which he was shot in the abdomen. Local news reports say it was over some sort of “transaction” that the victim declined to close. Gunfire and the life-threatening injury ensured. Ultimately, the man was transported from the urgent care center to the hospital, but the disposition isn’t what should make this case interesting to you. Urgent care …
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First, the good news: According to the latest UCA/CUCM COVID-19 survey of how urgent care centers are faring during the pandemic, 61% of respondents are “actively hiring,” while another 7% are “actively planning for needs, but not yet hiring.” Sixteen percent say they’re “awaiting actual volume surges to make a decision” while another 16% “do not anticipate a need to change our staffing model.” Those that are waiting to see more patients return may not …
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Johnson & Johnson just announced that it has begun Phase 3 of its coronavirus vaccine trial. It’s the fourth company to do so. Whichever of the vaccines is deemed safe and effective, the federal government says it wants to offer free vaccination to all Americans. Federal health agencies and the Department of Defense are already strategizing how to get it done; in a report to Congress, they say the plan could be ready to implement …
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Recently, we told you about new research showing that many children who’ve been infected with COVID-19 are asymptomatic, calling into question the value of school-based screening for common symptoms like fever and cough. Possibly more concerning for urgent care operators and staffs, who by now have also instituted screening procedures for all patients, is new data showing that more than half of pregnant women with COVID-19 may also be asymptomatic. A new study of pregnant …
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JUCM readers are well aware that Walmart has failed—multiple times—to establish a foothold as a healthcare provider. The concept, market, or locales have just never lined up right. They’re trying again, though, this time in partnership with primary care company Oak Street Health. The pair plan to open clinics in three Walmart supercenters in the Dallas–Fort Worth area this fall with an emphasis on preventive primary care and urgent care. What could make this effort …
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Several times over the past week, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has proclaimed new information on how the coronavirus spreads. First they announced new evidence that the virus spreads mainly through the air via respiratory aerosols and droplets, not just through direct propulsion of exhaled droplets as previously stated. Aerosol experts cheered. Then the CDC deleted that information from its website, but kept the suggestion that exhaled droplets launched from one person to …
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