FRANK H. LEONE, MBA, MPH It began with two cavemen, or even before: Bartering. Fair trade. A transaction where both parties (theoretically) walk away satisfied that they got a positive return on their exchange. This concept persists to this very day. At a minimum, your urgent care clinic should understand return-on-investment (ROI) for two occupational health staples: work injury management and pre-placement physical examinations. Work Injury Management Employers need to get workers back to work …
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Are DNA Relationship Testing Services a Good Match for Urgent Care?
Urgent message: The last 10 years have seen a dramatic increase in DNA parentage testing. Yet, the DNA testing industry remains, in essence, unregulated. Can urgent care providers fulfill a need for ethical and clinically reliable access, while receiving direct and immediate payment for your services? Elizabeth Panke, MD, PhD For many generations, defining the parent-child relationship was easy. The woman who gave birth to the child was the child’s legal mother; to a large …
Read MoreQuality of Care
KENNETH V. ISERSON, MD, MBA, FAAEM, FACEP “Quality of care,” due to both its nebulous nature and its vital importance, has always been a much-discussed issue in medical ethics. For example, the Codes of Hammurabi, the Hippocratic writings, and other early medical treatises discuss quality of care. Today, the changing goals and priorities within healthcare systems and the ongoing attempts to restructure local, state, and national health treatment delivery systems have increased the importance of …
Read MoreDeveloping Data: May, 2007
In this issue: Who’s treating whom? Physicians are at the forefront of urgent care, both as practitioners and as business owners. They’re not the only ones treating patients, however; perhaps more than in any other practice environment, mid-level providers physician assistants and nurse practitioners, in particular are charged with administering care to patients. It’s a good thing physicians have well-trained assistance, too, as respondents to the survey report- ed that their urgent care facilities see …
Read MoreHow to Use the Level 1 Established Patient E/M Code (99211)
DAVID STERN, MD (Practice Velocity) Q.What is the code 99211? A.The official description is as follows: “Office or other outpatient visit for the evaluation and management of an established patient, that may not require the presence of a physician. Usually, the presenting problem(s) are minimal. Typically, five minutes are spent performing or supervising these services.” This is a low-level Evaluation and Management (E/M) service. The code requires a face-to-face patient encounter with a staff member …
Read MoreAnatomy of an Occupational Health Sales Call
FRANK H. LEONE, MBA, MPH “Tell ’em what you’re going to tell ’em, tell ’em, and tell ’em what you told ’em.” —Mark Twain Urgent care clinic operators would be well advised to keep in mind Mark Twain’s advice on how to approach a speech or a paper; the same sequence applies to an occupational medicine sales call. In Phase I, it is best to articulate a clear objective for your sales call and provide …
Read MoreSettling the Case
JOHN SHUFELDT, MD, JD, MBA, FACEP The deposition is over. Your counsel tells you that, despite your barely concealed disdain for the opposing counsel, you managed to hold your own and not say anything from which you can’t recover. Unfortunately, you had to burn your dark blue suit both for the bad memories associated with it and because you are not sure if even dry cleaning it would help. Nevertheless, you are feeling pretty good! …
Read MoreDeveloping Data: April, 2007
UCAOA’S Survey Committee drew two important conclusions from its first industry-wide survey: urgent care is a growing industry nationwide, and those within the industry are hungry for benchmarking data. In each issue of JUCM, Developing Data will seek to fulfill that need. In this issue: Answers to the question, “So how long have you been in business?” As a distinct practice environment, “urgent care” is relatively young and just now becoming a part of the …
Read MoreMaking Employer Advisory Councils Work for You
Whether you are just now incorporating occupational health into your service mix or have a burgeoning occupational health component, an Employer Advisory Council is an excellent idea. In general, a council should include at least 12 members (providing a cushion against no-shows) and consist of a mix of owners, company CEOs, and HR personnel that reflect your service area. Be certain to include both high-profile candidates and worker bees from both client and non-client companies. …
Read MoreHow to Prepare for and Give a Deposition
JOHN SHUFELDT, MD, JD, MBA, FACEP You are sitting at a long mahogany table in an unfamiliar, yetvery well-appointed, office wearing the same dark suit that you last wore at your cousin’s funeral. A pale, gaunt man with what looks like a small typewriter scrambles furiously to keep up with your rapid-pressured response to the question, “Doctor, for the record, please state your name and current address.” Is this a bad dream? Only if you …
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