Practice Management
Conway Medical Center (CMC) announced the acquisition of 4 urgent cares and 1 physical therapy clinic from Novant Health. The acquisition includes urgent care locations in Myrtle Beach, Surfside Beach, and Little River, South Carolina, and will add 43 employees to CMC’s workforce. The urgent care clinics will transition to the CMC brand in stages by November 16, according to the announcement. CMC says the expansion supports the market response to population growth in the …
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A growing number of Americans are turning to AI for mental health guidance and emotional support as stress becomes an increasingly common part of daily life, according to the American Psychological Association’s 2026 Stress in America report. The findings are based on a survey of 3,132 U.S. adults conducted in July and August 2026. Among respondents, 60% reported that stress negatively affected their sleep, 56% cited effects on their mental or emotional well-being, and 51% …
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Attorneys general in Arizona, Arkansas, Idaho, Iowa, Kansas, Montana, Nebraska, and West Virginia have all filed separate lawsuits against OpenAI as part of a coordinated effort to question whether OpenAI has misled consumers into believing ChatGPT is safer and more medically reliable than it actually is. For example, Iowa is seeking financial penalties of up to $40,000 per Consumer Fraud Act violation, compensation for affected consumers, and court-ordered changes to OpenAI’s safety practices. It also …
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Early-season flu activity is currently higher than typically observed at this time of year, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s (CDC) weekly update. Because every season has some variation, the early start isn’t especially unique. For the week ending October 10, 2026, CDC notes 2.1% of outpatient visits were for respiratory illness. Separately, a national wastewater dashboard shows a high concentration of influenza A and SARS-CoV-2 present in wastewater testing as of …
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A study published in JAMA Network Open found that approximately 1 in 6 U.S. adults reported encountering disrespectful or judgmental language in medical records or healthcare encounters. In a nationally weighted survey of 500 adults from November 21 to December 4, 2025, 17.1% of patient portal users reported seeing this type of language in their own or a loved one’s medical records. Examples of potentially judgmental descriptions include labeling patients as “noncompliant” or “resistant.” Among …
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A 2026 report from the Heart Failure Society of America, published in the Journal of Cardiac Failure, highlights the growing risk and negative consequences of heart failure (HF) in the United States. Approximately 7.7 million adults (3%) currently have HF—a number projected to reach 11.4 million by 2050. Lifetime risk is approximately 24%, meaning that an individual in the United States has roughly a 1 in 4 chance of developing HF at some point during …
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Gepotidacin, a new oral antibiotic that was approved by the Food and Drug Administration in March 2025 for the treatment of female adults and pediatric patients (≥12 years, ≥40 kg) with uncomplicated urinary tract infections (UTIs) was found to provide rapid symptom improvement—as early as 24 hours after the first dose—according to results of a clinical trial published in JAMA Network Open. The nonrandomized study enrolled 97 patients at 21 U.S. sites who received gepotidacin …
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For many common bacterial infections, shorter antibiotic durations are often as effective and safer than longer duration regimens. However, a national survey published in Open Forum Infectious Diseases found that most U.S. adults perceive longer antibiotic courses to be better despite the evidence. Researchers at the University of Utah surveyed 1,475 adults in March–April 2024 about antibiotic use for bacterial respiratory infections. Overall, 60.4% of patients answering the online survey said they preferred courses lasting …
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In an opinion article published in Academic Emergency Medicine, an emergency medicine professor at the University of Virginia notes that emergency departments (EDs) have become the default destination for nearly all acute, unscheduled care, even when patients do not require emergency-level services. This approach contributes to overcrowding, inefficient resource use, and care delays for patients with life-threatening conditions. The author, R. Andrew Taylor, MD, MHS, proposes a conceptual engineering framework to redefine emergency care according …
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Antibiotic stewardship initiatives in urgent care may improve prescribing practices beyond just their original objectives, according to a study published in the Journal of the Pediatric Infectious Diseases Society. A national quality improvement collaborative involving 92 pediatric urgent care sites examined antibiotic prescribing duration for acute respiratory infections in children aged 6 months–18 years. Researchers analyzed 257,879 encounters involving antibiotic prescriptions between April 2022 and September 2024. Although the program focused on improving first-line antibiotic …
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