Journal of Urgent Care Medicine

The Data Are in: Focusing on Antibiotic Stewardship Curbs Bad Prescribing Habits in Urgent Care

At the outset of a quality-improvement project at Intermountain Health’s urgent care network, 48% of patients received a prescription for antibiotics; by the end of the project, that figure was down to 33%. As reported in a paper published by JAMA Network Open, the interventions credited with that reduction included educating providers and patients; employing various EMR tools; a benchmarking dashboard that was accessible to all providers; and a media campaign. The data reflected 493,724 …

Patients Have Reasons for Leaving UCC’s Without Being Seen—and Some Are Under Your Control

Patients come to your urgent care center for very important, personal, and specific reasons—most often because they’re ill or injured and need your help. So, it’s only logical that they would need a compelling reason to leave before they’ve even been seen by one of your providers. According to the results of a survey by the Urgent Care Association, the top reason is one that could be controllable to a large degree; wait time was …

No Matter Your Degree, in Georgia the Title of ‘Dr.’ Is Now Reserved for Physicians

Urgent care providers who have achieved doctorate-level degrees can only introduce themselves or be referred to as “Dr.” if they’ve earned MD or DO status, according to a new law just passed in Georgia. Predictably, groups like the American Society of Anesthesiologists applaud the move while the American Association of Nurse Practitioners, for one, objects, as reported by MedPage Today. The law mandates that specific licenses and or/degrees be specified on ID badges, in advertisements, …

Can a Grocery Chain Succeed in Offering Primary Care Where Other Retailers Have Generally Failed?

Regular readers of JUCM News and JUCM know that multiple drugstore chains, big box retailers, and others have tried hard to steal business away from urgent care. While pharmacy companies have had a modicum of success in drawing patients concerned they could have strep throat and the like, no one has really been able to establish a substantial foothold in the way urgent care has. That doesn’t stop other companies from trying, though. In fact, …

May Is the Time to Celebrate Urgent Care—and Remind the Community Why They Should Do the Same

The Urgent Care Association has designated May as Urgent Care Awareness Month, complete with a campaign dedicated to raising awareness of the industry among the public, including policymakers at every level. And while the aphorism that the rising tide lifts all the boats is usually true, UCA’s efforts will be multiplied with every individual urgent care operator that takes part in the effort. The Association has created a library of materials to assist, including a …

Too Many Physicians Regret Their Career Choice. Have You Checked in with Your Team?

Not too long ago, we shared news about a Mayo Clinic Proceedingsstudy that found only 57.1% of respondents would choose to become a physician again. That should have come as no surprise, in light of other pieces of the data—particularly the revelation that 62.8% of respondents claimed at least one manifestation of burnout. Now comes news that many clinicians may be either dealing with or trying to prevent going down that road by cutting back …

Hospitals Are Bracing for an Onslaught of Uninsured Patients; Will the Ripples Reach Urgent Care?

JUCM News readers know that state and federal regulations adopted during the COVID-19 pandemic are being rescinded or are expiring in waves, with direct and indirect effects on urgent care. With May 11 marking the end of the official federal public health emergency, the Association of American Medical Colleges’ AAMC News reports that some 17 million people formerly covered via emergency Medicaid enrollment are now likely to lose that coverage, with approximately 6.8 million not …

Be Aware: It’s Getting Harder to Predict the Seasonality of RSV

As you probably recall, there was a marked difference in rates of respiratory syncytial virus at a certain point during the COVID-19 pandemic. In fact, data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reveal that there was essentially no RSV “season” in 2020–21, presumably due to school closures, masking, and social distancing practices. Before the pandemic, RSV cases started to climb in October, peaked in December, and essentially disappeared by April. Now, the Journal …

Acute Mental Health Care Needs Spawn Creative Solutions. Is There an Opportunity There?

Medical and mainstream media are again full of articles reporting on the urgent—and steadily growing—challenge of ensuring people experiencing a mental health crisis get care when they need it. Most recently, the Journal of the American Medical Association published research revealing that children and young adults, in particular, present to emergency room with mental health complaints in greater numbers than ever, including a steep increase in visits related to suicide. The article notes that while …

Social Media Is Rich in Marketing Opportunities—but Also Reputational Risk

It’s unlikely that an urgent care operation could build a robust marketing presence without savvy use of social media. From basic Facebook pages to more sophisticated use of Twitter, Instagram, YouTube, and other platforms, the only real limits are in the user’s field of vision. The same source of potentially rich rewards is also a minefield where one misstep can ruin the center’s reputation, however. The same goes for individuals within the operation, of course. …