Practice Management
The topline data may barely be of interest to the urgent care provider or operator, but the results of a study conducted by Journo Research and published in the Daily Independent in Phoenix reveal that Arizona is the most accident-prone state in the nation. The methodology used to arrive at that conclusion could be invaluable, though, as the research was based on an analysis of online search data related directly to urgent care. In fact, …
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You could probably guess what many of the most common injuries presenting to the emergency room are. Seeing just how big the numbers are might give you pause, however, especially when you consider how many urgent care centers could be managing those patients—and taking in the associated revenue while helping to improve overcrowding in the ED and lowering healthcare spending in the United States. According to a post by Patient Care Online, culled from data …
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It’s well documented that the United States has been in the grips of a narcotics addiction crisis for too long. Less established, until now, is the toll it might be taking on healthcare workers who themselves may be addicts and at risk for overdose and resultant death. Unfortunately, a report just published by the Annals of Internal Medicine reveals that those working in a healthcare setting are actually more likely to die from an overdose …
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New data from unrelated sources indicate that nurse practitioners and physician assistants (known collectively as advanced practice providers, or APPs) and urgent care may be intersecting more frequently, and more beneficially, than ever before. While the nursing education group Nursing Process notes that emergency departments/urgent care centers are among the top 12 settings in which NPs are in high demand, an article published by US News & World Report puts NPs in the top spot …
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The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau has instituted policies wherein outstanding medical debt under $500 is no longer reportable to credit reporting companies like Equifax, Experian, and TransUnion. While that may offer some degree of protection to healthcare consumers who have been billed exorbitant charges by freestanding emergency rooms and other facilities infamous for hitting patients with “hidden” charges, it takes away one more incentive for deadbeats to make good on their obligations—and urgent care operators …
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As long as 2 years after recovering from COVID-19, some patients who were healthy before becoming infected now experience blood clots, diabetes, neurological complications, fatigue, and mental health issues thought to be related to the virus. The authors of research published in the journal Nature measured disability adjusted life years (DALY) in patients who had recovered from COVID-19 or developed long COVID, with each DALY unit reflecting 1 year of healthy life lost due to …
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It’s well-established that patients value urgent care because it’s typically much more expedient than the emergency room, and certainly primary care practices. Proximity and savvy marketing may help you differentiate yourself from competitors who offer those same advantages, but are there even more basic considerations that draw patients to one locations vs another? New data released by Software Advice suggest that patients who choose independent healthcare practices vs those owned by large corporations do so …
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The U.S. Preventive Services Task Force reported 4 years ago that oral preexposure prophylaxis (PrEP) reduced the likelihood of HIV infection in adults at increased risk for infection. At the time, offering PrEP in urgent care was a controversial prospect; while there was little debate as to the public health benefits, some UC operators found the complex side-effects profile daunting for a setting largely dedicated to episodic care. Now a meta-analysis of newer PrEP regimens …
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The challenges of staffing rural urgent care centers has spurred some operators to get creative in order to meet patient demand. The question is, are some getting a little too creative in billing for their services? These murky waters have led to two individuals—an urgent care physician-owner and his office manager—being charged with healthcare fraud in Missouri. The United States Attorney’s Office, Eastern District of Missouri alleges that the pair “conspired to make false statements …
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Educating the public on the benefits of urgent care vs the emergency room and other settings is a central challenge in the urgent care industry. This is especially true when it comes to getting through to patients who will at some point experience quintessential urgent care-worthy symptoms like cough, sore throat, and eye infection. The results of a recent poll that Cigna posted on LinkedIn, asking Where should you go for care if you are …
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