Journal of Urgent Care Medicine

New Guidance on mTBI Suggests Quicker Return to Low-Risk Activities, More Caution for Others

Many patients diagnosed with mild traumatic brain injury would benefit from getting back to their normal activities sooner than has been advised previously, according to a new review article published in the Journal of the American Medical Association. Introducing noncontact, aerobic exercise can even help improve symptoms and shorten time to recovery. However, other patients—those whose “normal activities” could put them at risk for repeat mTBI or who have persistent symptoms—should slow down even further …

Partnerships Between Pediatric Urgent Care Operators and Children’s Hospitals Could Be a Game-Changer

There are 220 children’s hospitals in the United States; many have their own pediatric urgent care facilities. At the same time, as we’ve reported, non hospital-affiliated urgent care operators are popping up everywhere. There’s been little or no overlap, outside of referrals as needed—until PM Pediatrics struck a partnership with WakeMed Children’s to provide urgent care services to younger patients in the Raleigh, NC area. It’s an interesting blend of cultures. Children’s hospital-affiliated urgent care …

Miss Feeling Connected to Patients? Try to Develop These Five Habits

It’s not news that clinicians have precious little time to spend face-to-face with patients—minimizing one of the things that drew them to practice medicine to begin with. Dissatisfaction and burnout can follow. A study just published in the Journal of the American Medical Association reveals that fostering certain habits “may enhance physician presence and meaningful connection with patients,” however. Based on a literature review and interviews with clinicians at an academic medical center, a Veterans …

When Flu Patients Have a Choice, They Opt for Walk-In Care Over the ED and Primary Care

It’s a tough flu season out there, which means it’s a tough flu season in every healthcare setting. According to new data from a team of economists, however, many patients find it less so in immediate care settings like urgent care. Researchers from the Federal Reserve Bank of Chicago, Princeton University, and Northwestern University found that patients who live close to retail clinics are less likely to seek treatment in the emergency room when they …

Evidence that Telehealth Can Work Clinically Is Mounting

Patients and insurers were quick to sing the praises of telehealth due to its convenience and relatively low cost. Healthcare providers and facilities have continued to be skeptical, however, given the dearth of evidence that it’s a safe way to assess and treat patients while bringing in adequate revenue. While those arguments have scared many urgent care operators away from giving it a try, mounting evidence that telehealth can work might start changing some minds. …

Despite Progress, Opioids Are Still Overprescribed—and a Threat to Public Safety

Campaigns to reduce prescriptions for opioid medications have been recognized as a good step forward, but we’re still a long way from bringing prescribing rates down to an appropriate level according to data newly released by the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. One problem recognized in the report is a shortage of relevant, specific guidelines. This is especially true when it comes to prescribing pain medications for patients who have undergone certain procedures …

Health Systems Are Pleading with Flu Patients to Go to Urgent Care

Emergency rooms around the country are so crowded these days that they’re urging patients with symptoms of influenza to go to urgent care centers instead of the ED, unless they’re experiencing shortness of breath, debilitating cough, or other serious concerns. Miami Valley Hospital in Ohio, for one, announced in the local media that due to a surge in flu cases patients with symptoms should contact their primary care providers or head directly to an urgent …

Telehealth May Be Going Retail—But Is That Good for Patients?

Shoppers at H-E-B grocery stores were presented with a whole new product recently: telehealth “visits” with offsite healthcare providers. The chain is partnering with Reliant Immune Diagnostics, which has placed their MDBox telehealth platform in select H-E-B locations. For a charge of up to $50, shoppers can answer a few questions about their symptoms on MDBox before being connected to an off-site provider. That provider then makes whatever diagnosis they think is appropriate—and “writes” a …

Urgent Care Is Attracting More Migraine Patients; Be Sure You Know the Guidelines

An article just published in Neurology Advisor notes that the ongoing growth of the urgent care industry has led more and more patients with migraine to visit urgent care centers instead of the emergency room, where “long wait times, bright lights, loud noises, and stress over cost of treatment associated with emergency departments…can exacerbate migraine symptoms.” At the same time, the authors suggest that greater adherence to current treatment guidelines from the American Headache Society …

Make 2020 the Year Urgent Care Becomes Known for Excellent Antibiotic Stewardship

Urgent care has received more than its fair share of criticism in light of healthcare-wide overprescribing of antibiotics. While much of that discussion reflects misperceptions about our industry, clearly all healthcare settings need to be held accountable for improving their decisions to ensure antibiotics are prescribed only when necessary. With the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention continuing to re-evaluate their data on just how many antibiotic-resistant infections occur (with too many proving to be …

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