Practice Management
A prospective cohort study of 20,827 Spanish adults found an association between daytime and nighttime sleep patterns and the risk of atrial fibrillation (AF), as published in the European Journal of Preventive Cardiology. Over a median follow-up of 15.1 years, a total of 163 incident atrial fibrillation cases were confirmed by medical record. Compared to individuals who took short daytime naps (less than 30 minutes a day), those in the study who took long naps …
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Following their announcement last fall to enter into a joint venture, GoHealth Urgent Care and UPMC health system have now cut the ribbons on a number of rebranded centers in Pennsylvania and West Virginia, bringing their network of urgent cares to a total of 81 centers across the 2 states. The partnership marked the initial entry of GoHealth in the western Pennsylvania market, and as part of the deal, UPMC’s existing urgent care centers were …
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This week, at an annual scientific meeting of the Association for Diagnostics & Laboratory Medicine (ADLM), researchers described a blood test developed with the help of artificial intelligence (AI) that they say identifies Lyme disease sooner and more accurately than the 2-tier serology diagnostic tools currently used in medicine. The new test has sensitivity and specificity of 90% or greater, according to a press release from ADLM. Researchers created an algorithm that improved accuracy across …
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This month, the Mississippi State Department of Health (MSDH) reported 80 pertussis cases for the year so far—well surpassing its total of 49 cases reported in all of 2024. Ten patients have been hospitalized, including 7 children under the age of 2, although no deaths have been recorded through July 10, 2025. Children under 18 account for 76% of Mississippi’s cases, including 7 infants younger than 2 months. At least 28 of the individuals who …
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In a study that analyzed more than 22 million urgent care visits from 2018 to 2022, researchers assessed prescribing practices across several drug categories with the aim to shed light on opportunities for tailored stewardship programs. Among the total visits across all age groups, antibiotics were prescribed in 12.4% of visits, glucocorticoids in 9.1% of visits, and opioids in 1.3% of visits, as published in Annals of Internal Medicine. However, the authors estimate a substantial …
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This month, the United States reached a level of more confirmed measles cases for the year than in any time in the past 30 years. 1990 saw an unusual high of 27,808 measles cases reported with a series of outbreaks in large metro areas. However, subsequent improvement in vaccine policies encouraged higher vaccination rates, which helped dramatically reduce cases over the next few years. Cases dropped to 2,126 by 1992, and measles was declared eliminated …
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In a study of 31,900 healthy term infants at Kaiser Permanente Northern California during the 2023–2024 respiratory syncytial virus (RSV)-season, researchers found nirsevimab demonstrated high effectiveness in preventing RSV-associated lower respiratory tract disease (LRTD), as published in Pediatrics. Among immunized infants (49.1%), the incidence of RSV-associated LRTD was 6.10 per 1,000 person-years compared to 58.51 in non-immunized infants (95% confidence interval [CI], 81.7%–91.1%; P<0.001). Effectiveness against hospitalized RSV LRTD was 98.0% (95% CI, 85.1%–99.7%). Immunized …
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Piedmont Urgent Care has announced 2 separate expansions of its network this month. First, it acquired 4 MedPlus Immediate Care locations in the central Georgia region. With the addition of the Dublin, Eastman, Milledgeville and Macon, Georgia, centers, Piedmont now operates 6 urgent care centers with growth plans for the future, according to a press release. The branding at the centers will transition from MedPlus Immediate Care to Piedmont Urgent Care by the end of …
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In a national cross-sectional survey analyzing vaccination attitudes during pregnancy and among parents of children aged 0–5 years, researchers found a number of pregnant women and parents may be unsure when it comes to the decision to vaccinate their kids or may refuse some vaccines, as published in JAMA Network Open. In the survey sets, 35-40% of US pregnant women and parents of young children say they do intend to vaccinate their child as recommended. …
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In a double-blind, randomized trial of 1,030 children aged 6 months to 18 years with acute gastroenteritis–associated vomiting, researchers found multidose ondansetron administered at home as needed after emergency department (ED) discharge significantly reduced the incidence of moderate-to-severe gastroenteritis during the subsequent 7 days. Among participants with complete follow-up, 5.1% of the ondansetron group experienced moderate-to-severe gastroenteritis (modified Vesikari score 9 or above) compared to 12.5% in the placebo group (adjusted odds ratio, 0.50; 95% …
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