Journal of Urgent Care Medicine

Ohio Aims To Update Supervision Of X-Ray Techs, Improving Access In Urgent Care

Proposed legislation in Ohio might improve x-ray staffing in urgent care, and it could also have a significant effect on urgent cares’ bottom lines. The state has been a policy outlier because Ohio requires a physician to be physically on-site to provide direct supervision for general x-ray machine operators—which doesn’t align with the reality of today’s urgent care staffing model where centers are predominantly led by nurse practitioners (NPs) and physician assistants (PAs). The bill …

New Antiviral Flu Biologic Attracts Merck To Cidara Deal

Merck recently announced its intent to acquire Cidara Therapeutics in a deal with a total transaction value of approximately $9.2 billion. Cidara’s pipeline includes an experimental long-acting antiviral drug that has the potential to offer single-dose, universal prevention against influenza A and B. Known as “CD388,” the pipeline product is not a vaccine but a low molecular weight biologic. It is expected to offer seasonal protection for various populations, including immunocompromised individuals. The transaction is …

CMS May Refine Place of Service Code For Urgent Care

The Urgent Care Association (UCA) continues to seek differentiation for urgent care in the place of service (POS) definitions used by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) to construct payment schedules, which are updated yearly. In the 2026 Medicare Physician Fee Schedule, UCA’s advocacy efforts were noted in the Federal Register document with a statement indicating comments offered about the POS for urgent care will be taken into consideration by CMS for possible …

Americas Region Loses Measles Elimination Status

This week, Canada lost its measles elimination status, and as a result, the “Americas” region overall no longer has its verified elimination status as designated by the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO). The Americas first gained measles-free status in 2016, lost it 2 years later, and then re-established the elimination status in 2024. As of November 7, 2025, reports show 12,596 confirmed measles cases in 10 of the region’s countries with 28 deaths (23 in …

As Lyme Disease Risk Increases, Protective Measures Are Lacking

Despite knowing about the risks of Lyme disease when engaging in outdoor activities, less than half of families responding to a survey say they take precautionary measures to avoid tick bites, as published in Open Forum Infectious Diseases. The large survey of 44,330 American adults and 28,380 caregivers of young children shows that 88-93% of respondents say they are aware of Lyme disease, yet only 34-40% of adults and 40-42% of children’s caregivers take the …

Treatment Approved For Kids’ Chronic Constipation

Kids who have irritable bowel syndrome with constipation (IBS-C) now have a new treatment option as the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) this month approved linaclotide for pediatric patients 7 years and older. There is no known underlying cause for IBS-C in children, and symptoms include chronic constipation and abdominal pain. Linaclotide is the first treatment approved for IBS-C in pediatric patients with a recommended dose of 145 mcg orally once daily. A 12-week, double-blind, …

More Teens And Tweens Make Vaping A Habit

Kids using nicotine vape products are increasingly becoming daily users, according to a cross sectional study in JAMA Network Open. From 2020 to 2024, overall nicotine vaping among American kids in middle and high school declined, but daily use and dependence increased. In the national study of more than 115,000 youth, past-30-day vaping dropped. However, among current users, daily vaping nearly doubled—from 15.4% (95% confidence interval [CI], 13.1%-18.0%) in 2020 to 28.8% (95%CI, 26.6%-31.0%) in …

What It Costs To Chase Payment

A recent MedCity News survey reveals that providers end up investing about 2-10% of the collection value of their claims on subsequent efforts to chase down payment, scrubbing away at margins and slowing administrative workflows in revenue cycle management. At the same time, 90% of hospital and physician practice respondents say they are at least somewhat interested in artificial intelligence tech tools to make improvements in billing, and about 66% already have experience with such …

Patients, Telehealth Providers Stretch Weight Loss Drugs With Microdosing

Trends show that some patients are choosing to microdose their glucagon-like peptide 1 receptor agonists (GLP-1RA) prescriptions for diabetes and weight loss, whether a provider advises it or not. It’s believed that microdosing can be helpful to quell significant gastrointestinal side effects or to titrate scheduled dosing with individualized provider recommendations, however, microdosing is still considered unconventional, according to the American Diabetes Association (ADA). For example, each semaglutide multidose pen delivers about 72 unnumbered “clicks” …

Do Viral Infections Increase Risk Of Cardiovascular Disease?

A systematic review and meta-analysis of 155 studies evaluated the literature on the link between any viral infection and the odds of heart attack and stroke risk. Authors found influenza and COVID infections raised such risks as much as 3-to-5-fold in the weeks following the initial infection, as published in the Journal of the American Heart Association. Also noted in a related news release on the study, overall, the findings suggest acute and chronic viral …

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