Practice Management
A bipartisan group of lawmakers from the U.S. House of Representatives sent a letter to the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS), urging the agency to consider new payment policies for urgent care centers in future Physician Fee Schedules. The gist is that CMS previously asked for information on how urgent care centers address capacity issues in emergency departments, then followed up by asking for comments on whether separate coding and payment is needed …
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The Oregon House of Representatives unanimously voted in favor of a bill that would set minimum care standards for Oregon’s urgent care clinics. Proponents describe the proposed legislation as a starting point to help patients choose an urgent care clinic appropriate for their situation because lawmakers believe there is little consistency among urgent cares in terms of the services they provide, according to local news outlet Lookout. The move is set against a backdrop of …
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Newly proposed legislation in Arizona aims to regulate radiation safety beyond the current federal and state standards, according to AZ Mirror. Proponents say the package represents a first-in-the-nation push focused on “radiation protection systems” for interventional x-ray. For example, it requires hospitals performing real-time x-ray procedures to install enhanced protection systems in at least 50% of their procedure rooms by July 2027, and the system must include shielding that offers protection equivalent to or better …
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Proposed legislation in Ohio might improve x-ray staffing in urgent care, and it could also have a significant effect on urgent cares’ bottom lines. The state has been a policy outlier because Ohio requires a physician to be physically on-site to provide direct supervision for general x-ray machine operators—which doesn’t align with the reality of today’s urgent care staffing model where centers are predominantly led by nurse practitioners (NPs) and physician assistants (PAs). The bill …
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Alan Ayers, MBA, MAcc Urgent Message: Legislation for the licensure of urgent care centers has been enacted or proposed in 4 states for 2025, creating state administrative offices that can further define rules affecting operations. Citation: Ayers AA. State Legislation Could Impact Urgent Care Facilities. J Urgent Care Med. 2025; 19(7):43-45 Several states have recently proposed rules calling for the regulation of urgent care centers. While most of the bills have a long journey ahead …
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California Gov. Gavin Newsom has vetoed a bill that was designed to require state approval for healthcare merger and acquisition deals involving private investors. The scrutiny was meant to increase oversight of private equity and hedge fund ownership transactions that have the potential to lead to consolidations and closures of healthcare provider operations. However, it’s important to note the reason behind the veto. Newsom reasoned that California has an existing Office of Health Care Affordability …
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Maryland has finalized licensure-exception legislation to create a limited-scope x-ray technologist role that urgent care centers can now leverage to help extend the services their staff can provide. No license is required, but there are some criteria techs must meet, such as clinical experience, hours of training, and supervision by a licensed physician or radiologic technologist. The good news is that the staff who qualify can capture x-rays for almost any common concern, including spine, …
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Legislators in New Jersey have passed legislation aimed at increasing the transparency of health care prices, especially fees for services rendered by out-of-network providers. When it takes effect less than 90 days from now, healthcare facilities and providers will be required to give patients information on network status prior to delivering nonemergent or nonurgent care. That last stipulation is what should be of interest to urgent care operators: The law says care provided on an …
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West Virginia and Florida are the latest states to seek a legislative solution to the nation’s ongoing crisis of opioid misuse, abuse, and related deaths. In West Virginia, the state senate just voted unanimously to limit new painkiller prescriptions for most patients to a 7-day supply, though the number would be lower for urgent care centers and emergency rooms (4 days) and for dentists and ophthalmologists (3 days). Florida is looking at a bill that …
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After stutters and starts, Texas became the last state in the U.S. to enact legislation allowing doctors to treat patients virtually. Proponents argue that it was sorely needed, as Texas ranks 46th in the country in the number of primary care physicians per capita—71.4 PCPs for every 100,000 residents, according to telehealth provider Teledoc; 35 counties don’t have a family physician at all. Teladoc actually started operating in Texas in 2005, but the state medical …
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