Practice Management
Effective January 1, 2026, the Centers For Medicare and Medicaid Services mandated a critical coding change for urgent care: Visually read COVID-19/flu combination tests must now be billed under the single code CPT 87812. This replaces the previous standard of unbundling the tests into 2 separate codes (CPT 87811 and CPT 87804) and was intended to be revenue-neutral. However, a national analysis of January 2026 data by Urgent Care Consultants exclusively for JUCM reveals a …
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New analysis from the Health Care Cost Institute (HCCI) found that urgent care utilization is increasing, reducing demand that might otherwise fall to emergency departments (EDs). From 2018 to 2022, urgent care utilization among people with employer-sponsored insurance increased 34.5% over the 5-year period from 90 visits per 1,000 people in 2018 to 156 visits per 1,000 in 2022. At the same time, ED visit rates declined by 2.5% from 176 visits per 1,000 people …
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While a study in JAMA Network Open last week found urgent care visits among traditional Medicare patients doubled between 2012 and 2019, at the same time, researchers also found the percentage of Medicare patients managed by advanced practice providers (APPs) increased from 21.0% in 2012 to 50.8% in 2019. According to the authors, visits seen by APPs showed a 497% relative increase in the study period, from 9.5 visits per 1,000 (95% confidence interval [CI], …
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At least 35 people have been sickened in a histoplasmosis outbreak in Tennessee in the past 3 months with 1 potentially related death, according to state health officials and a local news report. The Tennessee Department of Health has not found a clear source of exposure but warns the Histoplasma fungus is commonly found in soil throughout the state, making it difficult to prevent exposure. People with weakened immune systems are at a higher risk …
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Advanced practice professionals (APPs) in the University of Michigan Health−Sparrow network have voted in favor of unionizing. The network includes at least 5 urgent care centers, according to its website. The new union local covers 213 nurse practitioners (NPs), physician assistants (PAs), and certified nurse midwives employed by the health system. A representative told the local Lansing State Journal that having a union means being able to negotiate for the best patient care practices. Overall, …
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Just as high flu activity has patients and providers on edge, the American Society of Health-System Pharmacists(ASHP) is noting a drug shortage of some types of oseltamivir oral capsules and powders. Likewise, GoodRx data through January 20, 2026, shows a peak of oseltamivir fills in the last week of December 2025, followed by a more recent drop, possibly indicating that the medications could be in short supply and/or indicating fewer prescriptions overall. Federal agencies state …
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Several healthcare organizations have asked the Centers For Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) in a letter to provide specific written guidance on appropriate emergency department (ED) signage that would notify patients of programs or policies regarding violence against healthcare workers. In previous interactions, the organizations say CMS discouraged this type of signage if the signs “could deter individuals from remaining for medical screening examinations and stabilizing treatment.” However, CMS didn’t clarify what type of sign …
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A narrative review of literature exploring patient triage found that structured, evidence-based systems that differentiate between emergency departments (EDs), urgent care (UC), and primary care can be useful in scaling down the inappropriate use of EDs. Published in Cureus, the editorial concluded that the specificity of triage systems in terms of identifying true ED cases ranges from 85-95%. Additionally, the author found several features of UC visits that were superior to comparable ED metrics. Urgent …
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Adult outpatients with unspecified community-acquired pneumonia (CAP) rarely receive diagnostic testing for blastomycosis, coccidioidomycosis, or histoplasmosis, however repeat visits seem to drive this testing, according to a retrospective study of commercial insurance claims published in JAMA Network Open. Among 573,994 CAP patients seen from 2017–2023, only 5% underwent diagnostic testing for blastomycosis, coccidioidomycosis, or histoplasmosis, and those tests typically occurred after a median of 3 patient visits. Of those tested, 3% received a fungal disease …
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The United States now spends $15,474 per person on healthcare for a total of $5.3 trillion in spending overall in 2024, according new federal data reported by Health Affairs. For 2 years in a row, health spending increases have topped 7% (7.4% in 2023; 7.2% in 2024). Increased demand for care and higher intensity of services are the main drivers of growth, according to the analysis. Year Total Expenditures (trillions) Expenditures Per Capita 2018 $3.6 …
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