Practice

You’ve probably seen videos of confrontations involving individuals who refuse to wear a face cover where one is required by local regulations or the proprietor to help stop the spread of COVID-19. Urgent care centers are not immune to this phenomenon. The question is, what would your staff do if a patient or family member came in without a mask and refused to comply with requests to put one on? An article just published in …

As we’ve discussed in previous issues of JUCM News, urgent care was largely left out of the mix when public health officials were strategizing how to cope with the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic. Many centers scrambled to get testing supplies and then to establish themselves as testing centers; other, multilocation operators established some locations as “COVID-free” zones while instructing symptomatic patients to visit one particular clinic. Next Level Urgent Care is going another …

Urgent care operators have suffered great economic hardship as many patients have ignored the need for same-day care because they were afraid of venturing out to a healthcare facility. The consequences of such decisions are even more perilous for the patient, of course. Some people may still be hesitant, so it’s time to be proactive in reminding them that you’re available to provide immediate, high-quality, safe care. Lifespan Urgent Care in Warwick, RI took that …

Every American is under additional stress these days, whether it’s due to having to adapt to a new way of working, the strain of social isolation, worry over an at-risk family member, or illness itself. That burden is multiplied for urgent care providers and other clinicians, of course, as they’re on the frontlines of the crisis. An article just published in the journal Sleep and Breathing suggests there is a causal link between COVID-19 and …

As we’ve told you, many patients concerned about exposing themselves to others who may have contracted COVID-19 have steered clear of healthcare facilities for acute but minor complaints, and certainly for preventive health visits. At some point that practice will exact a toll on our collective health, however. An urgent care provider at Upper Valley Urgent Care in El Paso, TX told television station KFOX-14 exactly that recently, at the same time sharing a valuable …

Even urgent care providers who have not been infected with the SARS-CoV-2 virus are feeling the ill effects of the pandemic. According to a new article in the Journal of Clinical Sleep Medicine (subscription required), clinicians who are working longer-than-usual shifts or working shifts out of their normal routine (such as filling in on an overnight emergency room shift or taking on 12-hour telemedicine stretches) are more prone to poor or insufficient sleep and increased …

The Urgent Care Association may have been forced to cancel its annual convention due to the COVID-19 pandemic, but it has repurposed the time and energy that would have gone in that direction to produce a range of support materials for its constituency. On the business side, UCA asked its policy consultant, Camille Bonta, MHS to share a summary of recent legislation and regulatory changes that could be helpful to urgent care centers; Staying Afloat …

Business as usual is no longer an option for healthcare providers, including those who practice urgent care medicine. Whether your practice is seeing an influx of patients concerned that they’ve been infected with COVID-19 or not, it’s likely there are facilities in your area that are struggling under the weight of too many individuals seeking testing or treatment for the virus. A number of urgent care operators have adapted daily practices to meet the ever-changing …

Widespread ability of imaging services was a big step forward for the urgent care industry. Patients appreciate it, too—so much so that quicker access to x-rays and the like has become not just an expectation but an attraction for patients weighing their options for immediate care, according to Urgent Care Quarterly, a new industry resource produced by Experity. In An Analysis of the Impact of Radiology in the Urgent Care Industry, UCQ notes that 10.7% …

Traditional primary care practices may soon start to operate more like urgent care centers. Some won’t, of course, and may face economic consequences if an article recently published in The American Journal of Managed Care is any indication. Specifically, the authors suggest, a consumer-friendly approach more closely associated with retail businesses will be necessary in order to appeal to younger patient groups. The piece cautions senior management against making too many changes too quickly, however, …