Journal of Urgent Care Medicine

Walmart and Sam’s Club Lay Down Their Own Opioid Limits

Insurers, health systems, and state governments have cobbled together regulations on various aspects of prescriptions for opiates. The federal government is working on legislation aimed at curbing the opioid crisis, too. Walmart and Sam’s Club’s pharmacies aren’t waiting for new regulations to mandate the limits of opioid prescriptions, however. Instead, the parent company is imposing a limit of 7-days’ supply for patients who are prescribed opiates for acute, short-term pain. Those restrictions will start within …

Keeping Patients ‘In-House’ by Forging New Partnerships

Western Connecticut Medical Group (WCMG) and American Family Care (AFC) have entered into a collaborative partnership to provide coordinated patient care—or, put more plainly, to increase the odds of retaining patients who visit AFC’s urgent care locations within a defined follow-up path. The two companies have structured their arrangement so AFC patients who need follow-up will have improved access to primary and specialty care practices within WCMG. Traffic will be two-way, too; WCMG patients who need …

Failing to Collect ‘Small’ Unpaid Fees Adds Up—and Up, and Up

It would seem to be self-evident that your urgent care center needs to collect on all fees for care provided in order to stay in business. Whether by sloppy bookkeeping, honest mistakes, or well-intentioned attempts at “charity,” however, millions of dollars are going unclaimed for services rendered across the country, according to an editorial that appeared in the Chicago Tribune recently. The opinion piece, penned by the paper’s Editorial Board, goes so far as to …

Make a Charitable Donation, Get a Free Camp Physical

When is a free physical not free, but still a bargain? When the true cost is a donation—in any amount the patient chooses—to a charity for children. That’s the deal New England Urgent Care is offering at its West Hartford, CT location for the next couple of weeks. They’ll conduct physicals for children who need one before they can go to summer camp, waiving their normal fee in exchange for a donation of any amount …

Patient Still Have Difficulty Accessing Their Own Medical Records

Despite vast improvements in the management of patient data thanks to the advent of electronic health records, too many people still have a hard time getting access to their own healthcare information, according to the Government Accountability Office. Under the requirements of the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996 (HIPAA), this presents a problem for consumers and providers alike. HIPAA mandates that patients be able to receive a copy of their own medical …

New Data: OTC Pain Relievers More Effective than Opioids for Dental Pain

We’ve shared research showing that certain over-the-counter pain medications can be as effective as opioid medications for acute pain before. Now a study conducted by the School of Dental Medicine at Case Western Reserve University School offers new data indicating the same is true for dental pain. Researchers found that ibuprofen and other nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, either alone or in combination with acetaminophen, are actually more effective than opioids for many patients when it comes …

Hepatitis A Outbreak Spreads in Multiple States—and It’s Not Just the ‘Usual Suspects’

Cases of hepatitis A—some of them fatal—continue to spread across the country, confounding local and federal health officials. Fourteen states (Arizona, California, Hawaii, Idaho, Indiana, Kentucky, Maryland, Michigan, New York, Rhode Island, Utah, Washington, West Virginia, and Wisconsin) are the latest to report higher-than-average hep A activity. At least 1,200 cases have been reported nationwide since March 2017, when the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention declared the outbreak; 40 of those patients died as …

Lancet Reconfirms Meds and Surgery Are the Last Resort for Lower Back Pain

A new report published in The Lancet indicates that many patients presenting to multiple practice settings with lower back pain (LBP) receive less than optimal care, as evidenced by the fact that their symptoms often linger for up to a year. Perhaps worse, some are still prescribed opiates despite multiple studies showing they’re not the best choice for LBP, and they leave patients at increased risk for addiction. Pooling guidelines from the U.S., United Kingdom, …

Medical Group Saves $6.5 Million by Focusing on the ‘Right Care at the Right Time’

Columbia Medical Associates (CMA) of Spokane, WA chose to tackle runaway medical costs by taking a deep dive into the data pool, searching for areas where resources were being expended needlessly. The first glaring point: They had to reduce emergency room utilization without sacrificing patient care. One solution: Teach patients the concept of seeking the “right care at the right time.” That included getting them to realize they could be seen efficiently and receive excellent …

Free Help with Seasonal Worries Could Make for a Great First Impression

Tis the season for getting back to the outdoors and all its beauty—as well as its dangers. One of them, as we told you recently, is the boom in the tick population this year. Recognizing that, PhysicianOne Urgent Care offered to provide patients in Massachusetts and Westchester County, NY with free tick removers over a 4-day period last week. In promoting its campaign, PhysicianOne offered tips on avoiding tick bites altogether and explained the range …

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