Practice Management
The flu season has barely begun, with the peak not expected for at least 2 months, but there’s already an uptick in reported cases—and multiple deaths—around the country. Just last week, Nevada reported three fatalities and North Carolina reported its first of the 2016–2017 season. The grim news is an opportunity to stress to patients the importance of getting their annual flu shot early, as suggested by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Ask …
Read More
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention notes that use of opioids in pregnant women can lead to birth defects, suggesting that alternatives for pain management of severe pain should be considered. In addition, more thought needs to be given about the wisdom of providing opioids to women who are of childbearing age and not using birth control. However, a study published in Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report found that opioids are prescribed to over …
Read More
We told you recently that fewer than half the patients in the “millennials” age group (roughly, those born between 1982 and 2004) are planning to get a flu shot this year—in spite of the fact that the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is urging patients in general to get vaccinated earlier than ever. Now a study by UPI indicates that U.S. parents who don’t get their kids immunized make that choice because they simply …
Read More
Despite ready availability of condoms—as well as information through providers, public outreach campaigns, and the ubiquitous internet, cases of sexually transmitted disease reported in the U.S. reached an all-time high last year, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Combined reported cases of chlamydia, gonorrhea, and syphilis totaled more than 1.8 million in 2015, according to the CDC’s annual Sexually Transmitted Disease Surveillance Report. Sadly, those numbers are probably lower than the true …
Read More
An urgent care operator in Louisiana has found an original way to literally drive traffic for its flu shot program: For one day, it set up a drive-through flu shot station in the parking lot so patients could get their vaccination without even getting out of the car. The move added an extra layer of convenience above the core urgent care attribute of walk-in treatment and preventive care. Besides the obvious benefit of ensuring that …
Read More
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the White House are working together to foster more responsible use of antibiotics in all healthcare settings by promoting Get Smart About Antibiotics Week, November 14–20. The CDC estimates 2 million Americans become infected with an antibiotic-resistant germ every year, meaning illness that could previously have been treated with a standard antibiotic may land your patients in the hospital (or worse; 23,000 patients die every year from …
Read More
More than half of Americans between 18 and 34 years of age say they don’t plan to get a flu shot this year, with cost being a key factor. Of the 2,080 adults surveyed by CityMD Urgent Care surveyed last month, 433 were “millennials”; only 48% of them said they plan to get a flu shot. Those who don’t plan to get one cited disbelief that the vaccination would keep them from getting the flu …
Read More
A new survey seems to indicate that it may take a long time—or more resources than you might think—for patients to understand their options for virtual care. Two large health systems rolled out their plans to offer virtual care in Iowa more than a year ago, but most residents still don’t get it. That’s bad news for the plans, but it also means the intended goal of offering virtual care in the first place—namely, slowing …
Read More
Estimates of the number of transgender people in the United States range from just 0.3% to 0.6% of the population. Still, that means up to 1.4 million patients across the country may identify as transgendered. Data show they experience a disproportionate rate of health complications, sometimes due to hesitance to seek care for fear of being discriminated against (or even refused treatment in extreme cases). Given this reluctance to establish primary healthcare relationships, urgent care …
Read MoreWe’ve told you here that urgent care-specific clinical trials will both raise the profile and perceived legitimacy of this setting and result in better patient care. Now there’s a new opportunity for urgent care operators to take part in those efforts. Urgent Care Clinical Trials, an investigative site network geared specifically for the urgent care industry, is recruiting urgent care partners in the Dallas and Fort Worth, TX areas to help conduct clinical trials and …
Read More