Journal of Urgent Care Medicine

‘Upcoding’ Allegations Cost One Urgent Care Company $2 Million—Don’t Let It Happen to You

An urgent care company has agreed to pay $2 million to settle whistleblower allegations that it submitted inflated claims to Medicare and Medicaid programs—known as “upcoding”—over a 5-year period in two New England states. Specifically, the Department of Justice charged that the company ordered its clinicians to examine and document multiple, specific body systems while taking the medical histories and performing physical exams, whether that level of attention was warranted by the patients’ complaints or …

National Safety Council Stresses the Importance of Workplace Education on Opioids

As we told you in January, new data from the National Safety Council (NSC) revealed that the odds of dying from an unintentional opioid overdose are now greater than those of being killed in a motor vehicle accident. Drug poisoning is the leading cause of unintentional death overall in the U.S. The implications of this go beyond the obvious for clinicians who are called upon to treat patients who present with acute pain related to …

Spring Into Seasonal Promotions

“To everything there is a season,” according to Solomon. He may not have had allergic reactions to spring flora or acute exacerbations of asthma in mind, but he had a point that applies to urgent care centers—and one that will resonate with potential patients. Tower Health, which has urgent care locations throughout Pennsylvania and Delaware, recognized the value of that message and incorporated it into a seasonal online promotional campaign. In taking a patient-education approach …

Hep A Is on the Rise; Here’s What the CDC Wants You to Do

Cases of hepatitis A virus (HAV) in the United States have been creeping up slowly but steadily since 2016 for several years now—to the extent that there are now over then 15,000 active cases across the country. Over half of those (57%) have resulted in hospitalizations, and 140 people have died. In response, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention just issued an advisory on its Health Alert Network for patients, public health departments, healthcare …

UCA Webinar: Are You Prepared for Patients Who Present with Life-Threatening ACS?

Urgent care has made its mark on the U.S. healthcare system by offering high-quality care on a walk-in basis, with one of the guiding principles being that it’s an appropriate setting for any patient who is not experiencing life- or limb-threatening symptoms. That doesn’t mean patients with that level of complaint never walk through the door, however. Patients experiencing chest pain may be inclined to present to urgent care if it’s the closest healthcare facility, …

Make It Easy for Patients to Provide Feedback on the Care You Provide

Really knowing what patients thought of the care you provided can equate to a priceless opportunity to both see where your urgent care center can improve and understand how to tailor your marketing message. The problem, according to a new article published in BMJ Quality & Safety, is that too many patients are reluctant to give you an honest assessment. Out of 10,212 patient–participants, 47% admitted they experienced a problem during a recent hospital stay. …

Consult the Data, Not the Date, to Know When Flu Season is Over

Warmer weather means a lot of things in the United States—putting away the heavy coats, longer daylight hours, more time outside—but not necessarily the end of flu season, especially this year. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention just issued a new warning that even though the H1N1 strain of influenza that has dominated the 2018–2019 season is on the wane, there’s been a recent uptick in cases of the stronger H3N2 strain. During the …

Psych Presentations Constitute a Major Challenge in Urgent Care

You’ve read here about the advent of urgent care facilities dedicated to mental health issues. Psychiatric urgent care has not gained much traction thus far, however. That doesn’t mean such patients will stop presenting, of course. By the time patients do present due to mental health concerns, in fact, they’re likely to be in full-blown crisis or possibly in the throes of a drug-induced event. As always, the first priority is to assess the current …

Annual Wellness Exam vs Annual Physical: The Difference Matters—a Lot

The terms annual wellness exam and annual physical may cover some of the same territory, but thinking they’re one and the same could be a costly mistake for your patient (which, of course, would be a second-hand costly mistake for you if that irate patient chooses to stop visiting your facility when they need same-day care or starts badmouthing you to their friends and family). This may be an especially complicated issue in urgent care. …

Bulletin: Not All Physicians Are Burning Out (and Many Are Actually Happy in Their Jobs!)

Many media outlets (including this one) have sounded the alarm that there’s a burnout crisis going on among American healthcare providers. And it’s true—but it’s not necessarily the whole story, as revealed in a new study of 5,000 physicians by the American Academy of Family Physicians. A sizeable majority (71%) report being “happy” in their professional lives, with 59% saying they are satisfied with their lives in general. The work-related complaints they do have are …

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