Journal of Urgent Care Medicine

Warning: Failure to Maintain Safe COVID-19 Vaccine Storage and Procedures Could Cost You

A Colorado urgent care operator has been suspended from participating in the state’s COVID-19 vaccination program after an unannounced site inspection revealed “irregularities” ranging from the manner in which the vaccine was stored, high vaccine wastage, and inappropriate administration to patients outside of the recommended age group. To make matters worse, the state now considers any vaccinations administered at the now-suspended clinics to be invalid; patients who got their shots there will have to receive …

COVID-19 Boosters Are OK’d for All Adults—but Is It Too Late to Prevent a Post-Holiday Spike?

With the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention following the recommendation of the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices to allow COVID-19 booster shots for all individuals over the age of 18, urgent care providers are emboldened to take the next step in their efforts to offer added protection to patients who completed their initial immunization at least 6 months ago. The CDC also strengthened a recommendation that everyone over the age of 50 should get …

Are Some Ethnic Groups Really Getting Hit Harder by COVID-19—or Is It More Complicated Than That?

It’s been observed in numerous studies (some reported on by JUCM News) that some ethnic groups have fared better than others throughout the COVID-19 pandemic. The issue of why that could be is a bit more complex, although a study just published by JAMA Network Open might suggest some answers. First, the data confirm the fact that African American, Hispanic, and Asian-American individuals have been more likely to test positive for and to be admitted …

The Eyes Have It; More Ocular Problems Are Linked to COVID-19

It didn’t take long for physicians to notice that patients with COVID-19 also came down with pink eye more often than patients who did not have the virus. According to information presented at the annual meeting of the American Academy of Ophthalmology in New Orleans and reported by MedPage Today this week, however, patients with COVID-19 are also more likely to have photophobia, retinal hemorrhage, and optic neuritis. Those experiencing long-haul disease, in particular, seem …

Get Ready—There’s No Place Like Home for the Holidays (or for Spreading COVID-19)

Just in time for the Thanksgiving break, incidence of COVID-19 is creeping up again in many areas within the United States. While that’s probably not surprising, given the ongoing relaxation of masking rules and slow uptake of vaccination among children, it is alarming when one considers that families and friend groups who passed on large group celebrations last year are gearing up to mass together for turkey day next week. According to data published by …

Your Occ Med Clients Need Your Support with the New COVID-19 ETS—Immediately

The Occupational Safety and Health Administration just issued an Emergency Temporary Standard intended to protect workers from getting infected with COVID-19 while they’re on the job. The short version is that the ETS requires businesses with more than 100 employees to either mandate COVID-19 vaccination for its workers or to implement a policy that gives employees the option of either getting vaccinated or undergoing weekly COVID-19 testing and wearing a face covering while at work. …

Especially These Days, Kids Hospitalized with CAP May Be Coming Your Way Post Discharge

COVID-19 continues to have many people a little skittish about rushing to the emergency room. And between the pandemic and staffing problems, even some hospital administrators are recommending that patients visit an urgent care center unless they truly have an emergency. As such, urgent care providers should be aware of a new study published by JAMA Network regarding the need for re-treatment of children who were hospitalized with community-acquired pneumonia. The population consisted of 824 …

Want More Patients to Know You’re There? Try an Immunization Social Media Campaign

Patients can get flu shots—and now, COVID-19 vaccines—in a lot of locations other than your urgent care center. And certainly providing a couple of vaccines is not going to be a significant revenue stream. However, with so many people still in need of both, encouraging as many of them as possible to receive both vaccines could be viewed as a public service—and one that could help introduce you to countless families who could become long-term …

More Seniors Are Heading to Urgent Care. Be Sure You’re Coding Correctly for Cognitive Assessments

As we’ve told you recently, weeks- (or even months-) long waits for primary care appointments are forcing more patients to consider whether a trip to urgent care for ongoing concerns would be a wiser choice. With senior citizens among them, it would also be wise for you to consider whether you’re on point with optimal coding practices for cognitive assessments—which are required by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services at annual wellness visits for …

PrEP Awareness Puts Some Populations at Greater Risk than Others. What Can You Do?

Low awareness of potentially lifesaving preexposure prophylaxis (PrEP) for HIV may be leaving Black, Hispanic, and Latino patients at a disproportionate risk for illness and death compared with other patient populations according to an analysis of National HIV Prevention Program Monitoring and Evaluation data published recently by JAMA Network. Hispanic and Latino people make up 18% of the U.S. population but accounted for 29% of new U.S. HIV diagnoses between 2015 and 2019. Black Americans …