Perspectives

Consider the case of a pediatric patient who presents with recurrent sore throat, erythema, no tonsillar exudates, and a negative viral panel. The patient has a positive group A strep (GAS) PCR swab, however, was recently diagnosed with streptococcal pharyngitis a couple weeks ago and just finished a course of amoxicillin 7 days ago. Is this a false positive PCR test result? What is the next appropriate course of action? What is the overall incidence of failed outpatient therapy of GAS versus recurrence? Is repeat treatment indicated, and what would …
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Barbara D. Alexander, MD, MHS; Kimberly E. Hanson, MD, MHS; Adriana E. Rosato, PhD; David B. Nash, MD; Maren S. Fragala, PhD; Steven E. Goldberg, MD, MBA Diagnostic uncertainty and error contribute to inappropriate treatments, which, in turn, can increase morbidity and the costs associated with care.1,2,3,4 Diagnostic errors can also contribute to unnecessary antibiotic prescribing, contributing to antimicrobial resistance (AMR).1,5 Lower respiratory tract infections (LRTI) are among the most common urgent care (UC) and emergency department (ED) presentations and are often associated with diagnostic errors that can invite additional …
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Brad Laymon, PA In the dynamic environment of urgent care (UC) medicine, precise, and thorough documentation serves as a cornerstone for both clinical and operational success. Beyond merely fulfilling regulatory requirements, documentation excellence has 3 critical functions, which I refer to as the “trifecta:” 1. Improved patient outcomes through clear communication of care; 2. Mitigation of malpractice risk through clear and defensible explanation of medical decision making (MDM); and 3. Accurate description of complexity to allow for appropriate medical coding. By addressing these 3 distinct functions of the medical record, …
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Rajesh Geria, MD; Patrick O’Malley, MD Every year, our nation’s 14,000 urgent care (UC) clinics care for nearly 206 million patients, equating to 564,383 patients every day across the country.[1] Imagine what would happen if there was no urgent care for just a single day. Now imagine that if that possibility lasted not just a day, but indefinitely. Unfortunately, many communities are at risk for this reality coming to pass. Decreasing reimbursement, clinician burnout, and administrative burdens make keeping the doors of UC centers increasingly challenging. Our healthcare system narrowly …
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Did you know the average person spends over 2 hours on social media every day?[1] While it’s clear that social media is here to stay, the impacts of social media trends on clinicians and patients alike is probably less apparent to you—but it is undoubtedly the reality we face. Today, 8 in 10 internet users search for health information online,[2] and 74% of these people use social media.[3] Perhaps more surprisingly, in a 2023 survey, 57% of physicians admitted to changing their perceptions of a medication or treatment based on …
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