Practice Management
This April issue of JUCM marks a meaningful milestone: 20 years of publication serving the Urgent Care community. It’s fitting that this edition will be in-hand at the 2026 Urgent Care Convention in Chicago, surrounded by many of the individuals who have helped shape this industry over the past 2 decades. Anniversaries provide an opportunity for reflection. They inspire us to look back with perspective and to look forward with intention. My own journey in …
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Samantha Etter, CPC; Reanna Nelson, CPC Healthcare reimbursement processes continue to evolve. In 2026, diagnosis-based denials have increased significantly across multiple payer types. Unlike procedural denials, diagnosis denials often stem from policy interpretation rather than incorrect coding. For urgent care, each denial impacts revenue cycle performance, increases administrative burden, delays reimbursement, and raises compliance concerns. Understanding the root causes behind diagnosis denials is essential for proactive prevention and long-term revenue integrity. Historically, diagnosis denials were …
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Urgent Message: Urgent care startups should avoid “cheaper” portable x-ray units, as they face regulatory restrictions, create workflow bottlenecks, and produce inferior images, making a fixed DR suite a better long-term investment. Keywords: portable x-ray; diagnostic radiology; radiation exposure; fractures Urgent care centers thrive by delivering fast, comprehensive, 1-stop service to ambulatory patients, and imaging capability is central to that promise. New operators commonly face a dilemma: their pro forma is tight, build-out costs are …
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“Test and treat” legislation at the state level is transforming pharmacists from dispensers into providers, authorizing them to diagnose and prescribe for conditions like flu, strep, and COVID-19 without physician oversight. As the map illustrates, this model is now active in more than 20 “direct open market” states (green), with legislation pending in key “battleground” states (yellow). JUCM first reported this disruption in 2015, and now the strategic intent is finally meeting regulatory reality.1 As …
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Contrary to the fear that virtual care cannibalizes brick-and-mortar volume, 2025 data reveals a distinct “halo effect” for hybrid urgent care operators. Analysis of average daily visits shows that practices offering telemedicine outperformed those that did not by nearly 12%, averaging 34.5 visits per day compared to 30.8. Crucially, this growth is not purely digital. While hybrid clinics averaged 2.1 telemedicine cases daily, they also saw 32.4 in-person visits—approximately 2 more physical encounters per day …
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Tricia Krueger, CPC; Nikki Benedict Insurers are drawing provider backlash for new payment policies that reduce reimbursements. For example, Cigna is automatically “downcoding” 6 evaluation and management (E/M) billing codes for a small percentage of providers, resulting in lower payments for routine services like office visits. Aetna’s new Medicare Advantage policy will automatically approve certain hospital admissions but reimburse them at the lower observation rate instead of the full inpatient rate. Providers argue these opaque …
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Urgent Message: Replace vague, defensive disclaimers in patient charts with clear, specific documentation and evidence-based communication to strengthen trust and demonstrate a culture of quality care. Alan A. Ayers, MBA, MAcc Keywords: EHR templates; smart phrases; culture; disclaimers; patient charts; malpractice Disclaimers are creeping into urgent care documentation. Many providers have grown accustomed to including boilerplate language such as “comfort measures were reviewed,” “patient verbalized understanding,” or “dictated but not read.” These lines are often …
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Urgent Message: Choosing the right security system—whether it’s surveillance cameras or a scalable monitored alarm network—can improve operational oversight and reduce the financial risk of your urgent care investment. Alan A. Ayers, MBA, MAcc Keywords: urgent care security; surveillance cameras; HIPAA compliance; monitored alarm systems; healthcare facility safety; operational risk management Whether you’re just starting in urgent care or managing a growing footprint of centers, securing your physical space is essential to protecting your investment. …
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Claire Katen; Cindy Lockett, MD It is well documented that Americans’ overall health lags behind that of other nations with the United States ranking 46th in life expectancy globally.1 This disparity is likely driven by multiple factors with limited access to healthcare services playing a significant role.2 As a premedical student, I, like many aspiring and active healthcare professionals, would like to close healthcare gaps and contribute to improving patient health outcomes. The urgent care …
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March has always felt like a turning point to me. The energy of the new year settles into steady motion, plans become real work, and the direction ahead starts to feel clear. For Urgent Care, that sense of momentum is especially strong right now. In February, leaders from across our field came together in Washington, D.C., for the Urgent Care Association Capitol Hill Advocacy Day. Those few days captured something important about who we are …
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