Journal of Urgent Care Medicine

Walmart Shopping Around Its Shuttered Health Clinics

According to several news outlets, Walmart has been in the boardroom with Humana to discuss a potential sale of the Walmart Health clinics that have closed up shop in recent weeks after Walmart decided to get out of the business. Most likely, Humana—a large managed care organization with 674,000 covered lives—won’t be the only possible suitor for the clinics. Humana already operates CenterWell Senior Primary Care with 250 clinics in 40 states, so it has …

When to Consider Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever in the Differential

A new study in Emerging Infections Diseases describes 5 children who had Rocky Mountain spotted fever (RMSF) and manifested clinical symptoms similar to multisystem inflammatory syndrome (MIS-C) in Mexico. Although the number of cases was small, it may be an important differential because Rocky Mountain spotted fever can progress rapidly to death or severe illness if appropriate antimicrobial drug therapy is not delivered within the first 5 days after illness onset. Among the 5 cases, …

Boston Health Leaders Agree to Direct Patients to Urgent Care This Summer

Healthcare leaders in eastern Massachusetts have agreed to a 90-day collaborative initiative to address the expected surge in local emergency department visits this summer, according to NBC Boston. Plans call for directing more patients to urgent care facilities when appropriate. Last week, the state department of insurance issued a memo detailing plans for insurers and urgent care providers aimed at managing the “typically high” volume of emergency room visits from July 3 to October 1. …

Flu and COVID Vaccines Recommended for Pretty Much Everyone This Fall

In a new brief, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommends that everyone ages 6 months and older receive an updated 2024-2025 COVID-19 vaccine and flu vaccine once the updated formulations become available this fall—ideally aiming for vaccination in September or October. A few distinct situations have varying dosing schedules for flu vaccines. Just as one example, CDC said adults (especially those 65 years old and older) and pregnant moms in the first …

Patients Confused by ‘Urgent Care’ Label on Hospital EDs

How free-standing emergency departments (EDs) present themselves to the community continues to cause confusion for patients, ultimately leading to unexpectedly higher medical bills and negative overall experiences. Some free-standing EDs have the term “urgent care” in their name, which many believe is misleading. And now there is at least one effort to investigate a class action lawsuit for patients who accessed what they believed was urgent care—based on the facility’s sign out front—only to find …

Rising Dengue Fever Cases Outpacing Last Year

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) issued a health advisory this week related to a significant increase in dengue fever cases in the United States, according to NBC News. There have been 2,241 reported cases across the country this year so far, compared to the recorded 3,036 cases from all of 2023. More than 1,498 dengue fever cases occurred in Puerto Rico, where a public health emergency was declared in March. Globally, the …

Substantial Number of GLP-1 Drugs in the Pipeline Hint at Lower Future Costs

Drugmakers are developing new iterations of GLP-1 weight loss drugs that could result in fewer side effects. According to a news item in Becker’s Hospital Review, 27 GLP-1 drugs are in development, but the majority of the data is based on animal studies or early-stage human trials. In one example, researchers are optimistic about the experimental drug petrelinitide, which was shown to reduce body weight by an average of nearly 9% at 16 weeks. It …

Rare Flu Strain Sparks Concerns For Treatment Resistance

At least two human cases of “dual mutant” strains of H1N1 influenza have been detected in Connecticut and Michigan, according to a report from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Genetic changes are concerning because they could reduce the effectiveness of current antiviral treatments. Mutations of H1N1 appear to have 13-fold greater resistance to the flu treatment oseltamivir—the most commonly prescribed treatment for flu. An analysis of the new H1N1 flu viruses with …

Americans Have Knowledge Gaps When It Comes to STIs

Many Americans lack information about sexually transmitted infections (STIs), a new University of Pennsylvania Annenberg Public Policy Center survey shows. Just over half of survey respondents (54%) know that syphilis can be cured, however, 84% incorrectly believe that a vaccine is available. As many as 30% don’t know the signs and symptoms of syphilis, including sores, swollen lymph nodes, fever, etc., but 77% know that using a condom could protect them. The incorrect responses are …

Those With PCPs Access UC for Convenience: Survey

More than 80% of consumers live or work within 15 minutes of an urgent care (UC) center, according to a national survey from healthcare communications firm Jarrard. Not at all surprising, nearly 40% of the survey respondents said the convenience of walking in was the top reason why they chose to go to UC instead of primary care for their most recent UC visit, followed by the convenience of getting an appointment in the expected …