Practice

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, …

It’s not news that clinicians have precious little time to spend face-to-face with patients—minimizing one of the things that drew them to practice medicine to begin with. Dissatisfaction and burnout can follow. A study just published in the Journal of the American Medical Association reveals that fostering certain habits “may enhance physician presence and meaningful connection with patients,” however. Based on a literature review and interviews with clinicians at an academic medical center, a Veterans …