Journal of Urgent Care Medicine

Cases of Leprosy Are on the Rise—and Their Presentation May Surprise You

While a rise in leprosy cases in Florida is concerning enough, providers and public health officials there are especially alarmed because so many cases are occurring in patients with less-than-traditional risk factors and in patients born in the United States. According to a post by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, both those factors “contribute to rising evidence that leprosy has become endemic in the southeastern United States.” Consequently, the CDC advises providers to …

‘Back to Practice’ Precedes ‘Back to School.’ Remind Athletes and Families You’re There to Help

It may be midsummer, but plans are already in motion to start fall scholastic sports programs. Given the brutal heat that has affected much of the United States this season, it’s also a good time to ensure that preseason practices are conducted as safely as possible for young athletes. Banner Urgent Care, which has several locations in the Phoenix, AZ area, is leveraging the fact that many school districts require preseason physicals by promoting their …

More Patients with Dementia Are Presenting for Immediate Care. Are You Prepared?

The unmet need for community mental health resources—and the viability (or not) of urgent care as a setting that can provide them—continues to be a problem without a solution. Unfortunately, that problem runs much deeper than the headlines can convey. In addition to patients presenting in the throes of a mental health crisis, multiples more who are living with chronic conditions like dementia present with the same needs for immediate care as everyone else. An …

Private Equity Has Emerged as a Major Player in Urgent Care—But Not Everyone Is Celebrating

Private equity (PE) investors started taking an interest in urgent care several years ago, and have continued to pony up considerable capital that is pushing industry expansion to new heights. The “yin” to that “yang” is that some healthcare providers are pushing back on what they seem to see as overinvolvement by PE in institutional operations and decision-making. An article featured on LinkedIn recently noted that the American College of Emergency Physicians has taken a …

Be Alert for Patients Following ‘Dr. TikTok’s’ Latest Advice

Just a few months ago we warned you about a TikTok trend in which individuals—often teenagers—took as many as a dozen diphenhydramine pills in the belief that they would start hallucinating as a friend shot video to be posted online. At least one boy died. The latest trend has not killed anyone to date, but it could be more likely to be followed because it purports to help treat troublesome symptoms with a substance attainable …

Emergency Rooms Are in a Dangerous Bind—and They’re Pleading for Help from Urgent Care

JUCM News has been bringing you updates on the consequences of reduced hospital services for communities all over the country for some time now. Something that’s gone under the radar, however, is how difficult cost-cutting measures like reducing services can be on the providers who work in hospitals. Patients don’t stop coming just because a department closes, and too often they flock to the emergency room. At South Shore Health in South Weymouth, MA they …

New Data on Access to Healthcare in Rural America Could Mean Opportunity for Urgent Care

Health system consolidation, reductions in hospital services, and hospital closures have been making it harder for residents of rural communities of the United States to get reasonable access to high-quality healthcare for years now. It’s fallout from abortion legislation that could be the tipping point that sends some of those communities into crisis mode, however. JUCM News has reported predictions of this dire scenario from various sources previously, but now there are actual data confirming …

Is There ‘a Doctor’ in the House? The Answer Depends on Where You’re Located

The fight by nurse practitioners to be addressed as “Dr.” (and by some physicians to keep them from doing so) has reached the litigious stage in California. As reported by The Washington Post, three NPs there are suing to prevent enforcement of a state law under which physicians and surgeons have the exclusive right to refer to themselves as “doctor” or to use “Dr.” before their name. And the state does, in fact, take an …

There’s a New Drug for Patients with Alzheimer’s—and You Need to Be Alert for Its Adverse Effects

Patients, families, and providers who treat individuals who have Alzheimer’s disease were likely encouraged to learn that lecanemab-irmb (Leqembi) received full approve from the Food and Drug Administration because of its potential to slow progress of the disease. Any excitement was soon tempered by warnings that the drug’s side effects could be severe, however—so much so that some patients (such as those on blood thinners) may not be candidates to take it at all. Some …

Don’t Let Anchoring Bias Sink Sound Decision-Making

Evidence is mounting that anchoring bias—getting “stuck” on patient-reported reasons for a visit to the extent that it affects decision-making or narrows the provider’s consideration of actual etiologies—is not only real but also a serious concern in clinical care. A study just published by JAMA Internal Medicine reveals that when patients presenting to an emergency room with shortness of breath included congestive heart failure on their self-reported history, physicians were less likely to assess for …

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