Practice Management
It’s well established (though not accepted by all patients) that getting a flu shot is the best way to reduce risk for influenza infection, and that the need to do so is especially great for older patients. New research out of Spain shows that seniors who get a flu shot every year see a cumulative benefit that helps keep them out of the hospital. The authors of the study, published in the Canadian Medical Association …
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It would be easy to make the argument that social media—and Big Media, at times—have done a great job of overriding scientific proof that the best way to avoid getting the flu is by getting vaccinated. It seems that every reluctant patient has it on the authority of YouTube or Twitter that vaccines do more harm than good, no matter how much data you throw at them. Some may have even seen the Tweet television …
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Flexibility and responsiveness to patient needs have become synonymous with the urgent care industry—though often it’s smaller, urgent care-exclusive operators who have the wherewithal to act so fast. Novant Hospital in Charlotte, NC is taking a page from their playbook, though, by responding to a perceived need in the community and opening the Women’s Urgent Care Center. Averaging roughly 50 patients per week, the clinic would be hard pressed to survive as a stand-alone entity, …
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The Mercy health system and GoHealth Urgent Care have big plans for 2018, partnering on a joint venture that will create a growing network of urgent care centers across the Midwest. GoHealth already covers both coasts with 80 urgent care centers in Connecticut, New York, California, and Oregon; they’ll launch more than 30 cobranded Mercy-GoHealth Urgent Care Centers over the next 2 years in St. Louis and Springfield, MO; Oklahoma City; and northwest Arkansas. Hospital …
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Another urgent care entrepreneur is taking her show on the road, this time in and around Colorado Springs. The brainchild of nurse practitioner Eileen Flavin, Anywhere Urgent Care is a house calls-only urgent care that boasts it offers 90% of the “essential” urgent care services available in clinic locations (leaving out x-rays and ultrasound, but including basic labs, simple suturing, and treatment for an array of complaints) as well as the off-hours convenience that’s become …
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A new report published in the Journal of Pediatrics reveals traits common to pediatric Medicaid patients who visit urgent care centers. Roughly 8% of the 2.7 million children under age 19 in the 2013 Marketscan Medicaid database had at least one urgent care visit. More common attributes among those included age 1-2 years and presence of a complex chronic condition. “High” urgent care utilization was associated with five or more primary care visits for acute …
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The retail frenzy may subside once Christmas Day is past, but spikes in holiday traffic continue for immediate care providers. Emergency rooms and urgent care centers see their busiest days of the year during the end-of-year holidays, traditionally. Whether it’s food poisoning or carving injuries that present the day after Thanksgiving, broken bones sustained while hanging Christmas lights, or various injuries associated with over-celebrating the New Year, EDs around the country report their visits increase …
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More than 5,000 people die in workplaces every year in the United States, most often from violence, exposure to toxic chemicals, or traffic accidents. Drug overdose is catching up, though, as the fastest-growing cause of death on the job, according to a new report from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. The number of fatal overdoses from illicit drug or alcohol use in the workplace jumped 32% from 2015 to 2016. While the grand total of 217 …
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As Alabama, Arkansas, Delaware, and New York and other states report higher incidence of flu compared with previous years, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reveals that A(H3N2) viruses are predominating this season, and has issued a summary of antiviral drug treatment recommendations. According to the agency, previous seasons in which A(H3N2) viruses were predominant were associated with more hospitalizations and deaths among older adults and young children vs other age groups. Vaccine effectiveness …
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Putting out fires may be necessary from time to time, but it’s no way to build a lasting presence in the urgent care marketplace. Focus all your attention on the day-to-day problems and you’ll find that your business is blowing in the wind like so many autumn leaves. Learn how to start breaking the cycle of jumping from one problem to the next in the first live webinar the Urgent Care Association will offer in …
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