Practice Management
Some television news reports make it seem as if antibody tests for COVID-19 will be the key to reopening the economy and diminishing restrictions about group gatherings and protective measures in public spaces. A Forbes magazine piece penned by an infectious disease expert notes that the best response to that idea is probably, Not so fast. In the article, Matthew Binnicker, PhD, director of clinical virology at the Mayo Clinic, acknowledges that while serology tests …
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Patients who have previously tested positive for COVID-19 and then declared to be “recovered” by virtue of a negative test, only to test positive again at a later time, do not appear to be infectious, according to data from the Korean Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. This led the researchers to propose those “re-positive” patients could have developed antibodies that would prevent them from having active illness again. Their conclusions were based on studying …
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Gastrointestinal complaints and hepatic symptoms are more common in patients ultimately diagnosed with COVID-19 than previously thought, according to a paper to be published in the journal Gastroenterology. The research, based on retrospective study of 1,059 patients at two hospitals in New York City, reveals that 33% of patients who went on to test positive for COVID-19 had at least one GI symptom at presentation; 22% had diarrhea, 7% had abdominal pain, 16% were nauseous, …
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Newly published research indicates that remdesivir shortens disease course in patients hospitalized with COVID-19. Data from the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, published in the New England Journal of Medicine, show that patients who received a 10-day course of remdesivir had a reduced recovery time of 11 days, vs 15 days to recovery in patients who did not receive remdesivir. The findings were consistent with preliminary data released by the NIAID weeks ago.
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The decline in patients visiting urgent care centers continues to slow around the country, with most locations continuing to be open and ready to provide care—and conduct tests for COVID-19. According to the latest data emerging from the Urgent Care Association’s weekly member survey, 80% of operators say all their centers are open, with 20% reporting that only some centers remain open; none have had to close down all their locations. They’re contributing to the …
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Fears that patients could be suffering with bacterial pneumonia are driving many clinicians to prescribe antibiotics—only to discover after the fact that the patients’ symptoms are actually due to coronavirus. Those premature prescriptions are now stoking concerns that antibiotic resistance could be on the rise, according to an article published recently by MedPage Today. This all comes on the heels of a report from the General Accounting Office that indicated there has been minimal progress …
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As state governments continue to grapple with trying to keep residents safe while also making plans to reopen the economy responsibly, some governors are looking to include healthcare experts in discussions. Virginia Gov. Ralph Northam is one—and Velocity Urgent Care CEO Alan Ayers, MBA, MAcc (who is also JUCM’s own senior editor, practice management) has been tapped to participate on the Virginia Department of Health COVID-19 Testing Advisory Council. Ayers will represent the clinical and …
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CityMD and ChoiceOne are among the growing numbers of urgent care operators who are offering no-cost COVID-19 to uninsured individuals at certain locations. New York City has estimated that CityMD is conducting 6,000 tests at 123 locations every day, currently. The city plans to deploy an “army of tracers” to follow up with contacts of those who test positive in the near future. Meanwhile, ChoiceOne is offering free testing to patients in its Baltimore, Caroline, …
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In a grim reminder of “chickenpox parties,” mainstream media from coast to coast are reporting on COVID-19 parties in which dozens of individuals gather to have a good time—and to spread the virus among themselves in a misguided effort to encourage immunity. Not surprisingly, public health officials in those areas are reporting anecdotally that patients who get diagnosed with COVID-19 mention they’ve attended such an event recently. One physician in Walla Walla County, WA told …
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If COVID-19 has taken frontline clinicians and public health experts by surprise, you can be sure the same is true of billing and coding professionals. JUCM has brought you updates as often as possible (see The Impact of Public Health Emergency on Revenue Cycle Management by Monte Sandler, executive vice president, revenue cycle management for Experity, for example), but as the situation evolves so must your approach. So, Experity and the Urgent Care Association collaborated …
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