Practice

As we first told you weeks ago, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has recommended that everyone who should be vaccinated against influenza—which would include all Americans over the age of 6 months, unless they have a contraindication—do so by the end of October. The CDC says the flu will strike early this year, but as always there are more naysayers among the public than there should be. Some people just don’t think it …

Maybe all the headlines about how bad the 2017–2018 flu season was will end up having a bright side. According to a just-released survey from urgent care chain CityMD, 57% of Americans say they’ll get a flu shot this year, compared with only 51% who did so in 2016. While that reflects patients in all age groups, the best news might be that those 65 years of age and older make up the largest segment …

Physicians may be quick to admit certain symptoms of burnout—stress, decreased productivity, diminishing compassion—but are loath to consider they’re actually burned out. Call it denial or professional pride, but in truth they might be correct. That doesn’t mean there isn’t a problem that needs to be addressed immediately, however; a recent post on the healthcare website Stat notes an increase in “moral injury,” which is often misidentified as burnout. It’s actually akin to post-traumatic stress …

A Maryland urgent care center is feeling the sting of negative news coverage, not to mention possible loss of patients and its reputation, after a woman says her daughter was denied care because of her race—by staff members who say they thought they were following company policy. The white mother brought her adopted black daughter in to the clinic after the girl jammed her finger. Based on the racial difference, the person at the front …

There was a time when physicians dressed to the nines while on the job; you’d think they were on their way to a 19th century ball, actually, according to a recent post in Advisory Board. That was also an era of tinctures and salves that had very little to do with the science aspect of medicine, however. As times changed, so did the provider’s “uniform.” Doctors adopted the traditional white coat in order to look …

It’s been the belief of some urgent care operators and thought leaders that medical assistants are perfectly capable of handling many of the tasks registered nurses usually manage, at a lower cost to the operation’s payroll. Spectrum Health is now banking on it, as they’ve announced that RNs are being completely phased out of their clinics, with medical assistants picking up the majority of the work the RNs have been doing. The Grand Rapids, MI-based …

Labor Day weekend can signal a chaotic time of year as families scramble to squeeze in one more summertime adventure—sometimes overlooking the fact that their children have to get a check-up for fall sports or to make sure their immunization history is up to date. Promoting your capability to take care of that on shorter notice than a typical pediatric or primary care office could both help them out and land your operation more repeat …

Concerns over how they might be treated are so severe for some transgender patients that they decline to get medical care on a regular basis. While the consequences of that for the patient are self-evident, there is also pressure on the urgent care provider to 1) get to the root of whatever the patient’s complaint is, understanding that it may have gone unaddressed longer than might be expected and 2) to interact with the patient …

Storm watchers have had their eyes fixed on Hawaii for the past week or so, waiting to see what havoc Hurricane Lane might create. Besides the fact that the feared widespread destruction didn’t materialize, the real weather story is likely to unfold on the East Coast of the mainland over the next few weeks. The Atlantic hurricane season, which runs from June through November, typically peaks in September. HealthIntelligence just posted an article examining the …

It won’t be long before providers will be pitching much-needed flu vaccinations to the patients coming through your front door. Their advice might ring truer if they themselves have had a flu shot, of course. Whether due to a false sense of invincibility or stubbornness, some clinicians defy all logic—and pleading by their employers—and just don’t get vaccinated. In the 2015–16 flu season, in fact, only 79% of healthcare workers got flu shots, according to …