Practice Management
Addiction may not be the only risk for patients who take opioid pain medications—even if they follow prescribing directions to the letter. A paper presented at the American Heart Association Scientific Sessions reveals increased risk for atrial fibrillation in patients who take opioids. Accounting for comorbidities, demographics, and mental health conditions, patients who took opioids were found to be 34% more likely to develop AFib than those who did not take opioids. The data are …
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Cases of measles and chickenpox are spreading in North Carolina and South Carolina, respectively, leading public health officials in both states to urge residents to get themselves and their children vaccinated. At least 12 students have been diagnosed with chickenpox at a single private school in Asheville, NC. Buncome County, which includes Asheville, has North Carolina’s highest rate of kindergarteners who have not been immunized because of religious exemptions. Without immunization, chickenpox is highly contagious. …
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Fewer young children are getting vaccination against many diseases than in years past, opening the door for preventable disease outbreaks, according to new data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The threat is especially acute in uninsured and Medicaid-insured children. The CDC report, Vaccination Coverage Among Children Aged 19–35 Months—United States, 2018, notes that children under 2 years of age, in particular, are less likely to receive all the recommended vaccinations than in …
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One of Alleghany Health Networks key hospitals saw more patients choose its urgent care centers over its emergency room for the first time ever last year. Saint Vincent Hospital has also seen a steady increase in visits to its primary care offices—again, at the expense of the ED. Saint Vincent President Chris Clark, DO told attendees of the hospital’s annual meeting that’s the outcome of efforts to “do more patient care outside the four walls …
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Thanksgiving is one of the busiest days of the year for urgent care centers that are open, at least at the New York metropolitan area’s CityMD locations. Whether it’s people trying to show off with a carving flair that exceeds their skill level (cutting more than the turkey in the process), scarfing down an undercooked bird, or getting splattered with oil from a fryer, many end the day worse off than they were in the …
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CVS Health’s MinuteClinic unit just started providing virtual healthcare in Nebraska, bringing the number of states in which patients can be seen without visiting one of its clinics to 16. MinuteClinic Video Visits are now available 24/7 using any mobile device. The company charges a flat fee of $59 for the “visit,” payable via credit card or debit card, but CVS says patients will be able to start using their insurance to cover the cost …
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Using pooled data from state and local health departments across the country, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reports that 2017 saw a record number of medical visits due to tick-borne disease in the United States. Including cases of Lyme disease, anaplasmosis/ehrlichiosis, spotted fever rickettsiosis (including Rocky Mountain spotted fever), babesiosis, tularemia, and Powassan virus disease, there were 59,349 visits last year—a 22% increase from 2016. The CDC noted that there were probably far …
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Starting with the premise that “primary care is at the vortex of massive changes driven by cost-control pressures and reimbursement transformation,” an article in NEJM Catalyst proceeds to explain that urgent care is a key disrupter of primary care as we know it. In essence, the authors argue that the requirements imposed on primary care practices are in conflict with patient preferences, leaving the primary care field in a no-win situation. In regard to the …
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The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is alerting healthcare providers that confirmed cases of mumps are becoming more prevalent, with 142 cases reported across the U.S. That’s already more than were seen in all of 2018. Michigan and New York are seeing a disproportionate number of those cases, based on data from local and state health officials there. Michigan already has more cases this year (15) than it has seen in any full calendar …
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It’s painfully clear, from the frenzied media reports to your case load, that we’re heading into the heart of influenza season. A new report from Columbia University’s Department of Environmental Health Sciences, published in PLOS Pathogens, claims there’s a seasonality to many other infectious disease states as well, however. Many of those identified in the report are likely to present to urgent care centers. The paper identifies 69 diseases that have a fairly distinct “season,” …
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