Practice Management
More than a dozen urgent care operators across New York, New Jersey, and Connecticut have filed a federal lawsuit against Solv Health, a platform that hosts a directory of urgent cares with digital features allowing consumers to book appointments. The urgent cares allege in Excel Urgent Care of Astoria PLLC et al. v. Solv Health, Inc. that Solv misrepresented their services, including claims that certain centers did not offer online scheduling when in fact they …
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In a quality improvement study of 263 ambulatory clinicians across 6 U.S. health systems published in JAMA Network Open, researchers found the use of an ambient AI scribe for 30 days significantly reduced professional burnout and administrative burden. The proportion of clinicians reporting burnout dropped from 51.9% to 38.8% (odds ratio 0.26; 95% confidence interval, 0.13–0.54). Significant improvements were observed in note-related cognitive task load (mean difference 2.64 points on a 10-point scale), focused attention …
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Healthcare workers don’t reliably test for respiratory viruses when they have symptoms, despite their risk for exposure to viruses on the job. From September 2024 to February 2025, 893 healthcare workers in Ireland completed surveys about respiratory symptoms and testing. As reported in Antimicrobial Stewardship & Healthcare Epidemiology, among 321 workers with symptoms, only 202 (63%) participants used self-administered antigen tests for COVID-19. Self-testing had a greater association with female sex, those with a preexisting …
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In Tennessee, Covenant Health Urgent Care has acquired 3 independently operated Well-Key Urgent Care centers in the state, bringing the Covenant Health portfolio to a total of 6 urgent cares. This month, the 10-hospital nonprofit also opened a new urgent care rooftop as part of its planned expansion. The organization is one of 6 health system partners of Urgent Care Group. Well-Key was founded by 2 physicians in 2010 and offers urgent care services to …
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Prostate cancer rates have increased in recent years, especially in cases with advanced stages, according to the American Cancer Society as published in its CA flagship journal. Incidence grew at 3.0% annually from 2014 through 2021, just after a period of 6.4% annual decreases from 2007 through 2014. Over the past decade, late-stage disease has increased by 2.6% annually in men younger than 55 years, 6.0% annually in men aged 55–69 years, and 6.2% annually …
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The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved oral remibrutinib, a new drug product, as a second-line treatment for chronic spontaneous urticaria (CSU). Remibrutinib has a unique mechanism to block the activity of Bruton’s tyrosine kinase (BTK), stopping a key pathway of the immune response in CSU, according to a manufacturer press release. The condition is thought to be caused by immune dysregulation, and it is believed that once activated, BTK leads to the release …
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In California, a judge has ruled that nurses, nurse practitioners, and other clinical professionals with doctorate degrees cannot refer to themselves as “doctors.” Only physicians and surgeons can use the word “doctor” or the title “Dr.” before their names. The American Medical Association and other professional organizations have long held that only those with MD or DO credentials should be labeled as “doctors” to avoid confusion or misperception by patients. Who are you? This highly …
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A recent survey by WellNow Urgent Care across 5 states shows 90% of all adults are likely to consider going to an urgent care for minor medical emergencies or illnesses—highlighting urgent care’s convenience, after-hours care, and affordability. The survey also shows nearly two-thirds of mothers say cost is the primary factor influencing whether they seek care. Three-quarters of surveyed moms report using vacation days from work to attend medical appointments, and 57% say they have …
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A large study in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology found that 99% of those who experience heart attacks and strokes have at least 1 of the 4 biggest risk factors. By tracking health records for more than a decade in more than 9.3 million adults in South Korea and nearly 7,000 adults in the United States, researchers found that virtually all subjects had at least 1 major cardiovascular risk factor beforehand, and …
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New provisional data shows 2024 was the third consecutive year of declines in the combined total number of cases of chlamydia, gonorrhea, and syphilis, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The overall trend shows a 9% decline from the previous year’s case numbers. Even with that positive news, there were still more than 2.2 million reported sexually transmitted infections in 2024, and overall cases are 13% higher than a decade ago. Most …
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