Novant Health has completed its acquisition of UCI Medical Affiliates, Inc. (UCI), previously owned by BlueCross BlueShield of South Carolina. The deal includes 52 Doctors Care urgent care clinics and 20 Progressive Physical Therapy clinics. UCI also provides nonmedical management and administrative services specifically for urgent care and physical therapy operators. Charlotte-based Novant has 3 hospitals in South Carolina, so the urgent care additions will no doubt offer some new referral source potential. Staying the …
Read MoreUH Building Up Urgent Care in Ohio to Match Cleveland Clinic
In the northern Ohio market, University Hospitals (UH) has paired with WellStreet Urgent Care to open a flurry of UH-branded urgent care centers in suburban locations. Within 2 years, the joint venture is aiming to have 36 UH urgent care centers open across the region—directly competing with the existing 36 centers currently operated by UH rival Cleveland Clinic, according to Cleveland.com. UH has selected sites near its primary care offices to better close the loop …
Read MoreZoning Upends Bon Secours Urgent Care Plans
Urgent care site selection can be tricky business. Once operators have sized up their addressable market, considered the competition, and estimated the available workforce, opening their doors may seem like a cinch. However, local zoning approvals must figure into site selection strategy as well. Last week, city councilors in Celina, Ohio, voted down a rezoning measure, which ultimately prevented Bon Secours Mercy Health from building a 4,200-square-foot urgent care on a former manufacturing site in …
Read MoreAscension Acquires Independent Urgent Care in Kansas
Ascension’s Via Christi Hospital in Kansas has acquired K+STAT Urgent Care, according to local WIBW News. While Via Christi is managing all assets and operations as of November 1, K+STAT will continue to see patients in the same location under its established brand. Via Christi has 6 hospitals and 75 care sites in the state. K+STAT is a single-site urgent care directed by 8 board certified family physicians, according to the website, and it’s the …
Read More30-Year-Old With Back Pain
A 30-year-old woman presents to urgent care with pain in her lower back and pelvis. She denies any injury or accident that might be causing her pain. She has just returned to full-time work after having a baby. An x-ray is ordered. Review the image and consider what your diagnosis and next steps would be. Resolution of the case is described on the following page.
Read More59-Year-Old With History Of Hypertension
A 59-year-old male with a past medical history of hypertension presents with dyspnea and pleuritic chest pain in urgent care, and an ECG is obtained. View the ECG captured below and consider what your diagnosis and next steps would be. Resolution of the case is described on the next page.
Read More25-Year-Old With Hand Rash
A 25-year-old man undergoing chemotherapy with cyclophosphamide, vincristine, doxorubicin, and dexamethasone for acute lymphoblastic leukemia arrives in urgent care because he’s developed a painful, burning palmar eruption. On examination, tender, shiny, erythematous papules and plaques were seen on the palms and fingers as well as the soles of his feet. View the image above and consider what your diagnosis and next steps would be. Resolution of the case is described on the following page.
Read MoreUrinary Retention Caused by a Urethral Stone Diagnosed with Point-of-Care Ultrasound: A Case Report
Urgent Message: Urethral obstruction can occur due to impacted urinary calculi. This etiology should be considered in patients with known or suspected history of kidney stones who present with urinary retention. Point-of-care ultrasound can be used to evaluate for and confirm this diagnosis in male patients, in whom the phenomenon is most likely. Nicholas Maenza, DO; Jeffrey Darko, MD Citation: Maenza N, Darko J. Urinary Retention Caused by a Urethral Stone Diagnosed with Point-of-Care Ultrasound: …
Read MoreDevelopment of a Positive Urinalysis Criteria Using a Machine Learning Approach
Urgent Message: There are no consensus definitions for what defines a “positive” urinalysis in the pediatric population. This secondary analysis of data from a quality improvement project in a network of pediatric urgent care centers used a machine learning approach to determine which variables on urinalysis most strongly predict a subsequently positive urine culture. Kari Flicker, BS; Jessica Parrott, DNP, CPNP-PC, CNE; Tammy Speerhas, DNP, FNP-C; Turaj Vazifedan, DHSc; Theresa Guins, MD; Jeffrey Bobrowitz, MD; …
Read MoreHow Should an Urgent Care Handle Requests for Medical Records by Subpoena?
Urgent Message: Urgent care centers need documented, consistent, and reportable processes for receiving, tracking, responding to, and collecting payment on subpoenas for patient medical records. Citation: Ayers A. How Should an Urgent Care Handle Requests for Medical Records by Subpoena? J Urgent Care Med. 2024; 19(2): 29-32 Alan A. Ayers, MBA, MAcc, is President of Urgent Care Consultants and is Senior Editor of The Journal of Urgent Care Medicine. Medical records are the critical foundation …
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