Practice Management
As the world continues cautious steps toward normalcy and recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic, a new virus is capturing its attention. In this country, national newspapers and television news programs have breathlessly relayed mounting cases of monkeypox, likely eliciting concerns that may be out of proportion to actual danger among patients—at least for now. What’s known is that new cases have been reported in 16 countries, including the United States. In response, the Centers for …
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Hot on the heels of news that Piedmont Urgent Care by Wellstreet is acquiring SmartCare Medical Group comes another development reflecting the ongoing robust growth in the urgent care industry: Next Level Urgent Care says it’s going to open 20 new locations throughout the remainder of 2022, including its first outside of Houston. That will nearly double its current location count (24). Just as significant in terms of urgent care’s standing as a distinct practice …
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As noted in an article just published by JAMA Network, unchecked spread has put prediabetes and diabetes at “epidemic levels” in the United States. With the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force having lowered the age at which it’s advisable to start screening patients to 35, this begs the question as to whether it’s time for urgent care centers to become more proactive in assessing patients for diabetes. While too-high blood sugar is often an incidental …
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The Urgent Care Association sent word to its membership that Armando Samaniego, MD, MBA, current UCA president, died suddenly on Saturday, May 21. Noting his commitment to establishing UCA’s Commission on Diversity, Equity and Inclusion, as well as his service as a member, board member, and leader, the Association called Dr. Samaniego “selfless, generous, extremely caring, and a true advocate for the urgent care community.” Dr. Samaniego earned his MD from Harvard Medical School and …
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Piedmont Urgent Care by Wellstreet is beefing up its presence in Georgia by acquiring SmartCare Medical Group. The move will add 10 locations to Piedmont’s portfolio of 47 urgent care centers, including two communities where Piedmont had not had a presence previously, and 25 QuickCare locations. The company also operates numerous primary care and specialty practices. Piedmont has said there are no plans to reduce the existing workforce at any of the locations.
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Even patients who accept that vaccination and boosters are effective in reducing risk for COVID-19 infection may be getting complacent, whether they’ve dodged infection so far or not. However, data published by the New England Journal of Medicine based on the cases of 1.25 million people 60 years of age and older in Israel confirm that a fourth dose of vaccine really does confer more protection against the virus than three doses. The results amplify …
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Increases in the price of homes, gasoline, and consumer goods are bound to have a disproportionate effect on the unemployed, underemployed, and elderly Americans living on a fixed income. At the same time, food pantries and other community resources are already crying out for help due to decreased levels of support from usually reliable donors. In short, some of the most vulnerable among us are getting squeezed from both sides, without the resources to do …
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The latest update to the data tracker maintained by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention shows a steady increase in new COVID-19 infections and related hospitalizations since April. While there hasn’t been a corresponding increase in deaths from COVID, to date, a new concern is that upwards of 60% of current transmission may be from individuals who are asymptomatic or presymptomatic, according to an article just published by MedPage Today. As with other setbacks …
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It’s been presumed (and even joked about) that being cut off from normal social interactions and working from home for long stretches over the course of the COVID-19 pandemic would lead some Americans to consume more alcohol than they otherwise would. Now that there’s been enough time to collect and analyze data on the subject, it seems this is no laughing matter. A new article published in JAMA Network Open reveals that that alcohol-related deaths …
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A primary care practice and several urgent care centers in Rhode Island have to pay 103 workers a total of $175,000 in back wages and “liquidated damages,” as well as paying $50,000 in civil penalties, to settle charges that they didn’t keep accurate records and thus failed to pay workers properly for overtime hours worked. The alleged infractions would constitute violations of the Fair Labor Standards Act. An announcement on the website of the U.S. …
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