Practice

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 …

A new survey by Bankrate reveals that 22% of people in the United States have skipped medical care, or have a close family member who has opted not to get medical care in the past year because they felt they couldn’t afford it. Of those,  29% got their insurance in the individual marketplace (eg, Affordable Care Act exchanges), while 22% were covered by employee health plans. Even those who are confident they can afford their …

Advances in technology have smoothed many of the rough spots in keeping patient records, billing, and communication. The flip side of that is that healthcare consumers become more demanding all the time. Healthcare providers need to increase their focus on patient engagement to keep up. Urgent care operators actually have a great advantage in this area, as the nature of our business is inherently more consumer-oriented than, say, a traditional primary care office. The retail …

Medical errors, no matter a clinician’s expertise or a facility’s reputation, are going to happen. A precious few are lethal, but even those that do not cause serious harm have the capacity to cripple your business when the affected patients take to social media or warn their friends and family to steer clear of your practice. A new Medscape post suggests only 1% of physicians are “master diagnosticians” who seldom make mistakes when diagnosing. The …

Summertime means more leisure time for most Americans, and the warmer weather can serve as a welcome invitation to enjoy outdoor activities that are inaccessible during much of the year. It’s also a great time to let residents in your area (and visitors from out of town, for that matter) know your capabilities to assist with seasonal health concerns. The operators of Mercy Urgent Care know western North Carolina is an appealing destination for hikers—and …

Patients who get nervous around clinicians, even to the point of having a fast heart rate or elevated blood pressure, are said to be experiencing “white coat anxiety.” Don’t let that fool you. A professional image, including those white coats (and scrubs, as well) goes a long way toward helping patients feel they’re going to get excellent care, according to a new study published in BMJ Open. More than half of the 4,000+ patients who …