Practice Management
Not surprisingly, seasonal influenza activity is increasing nationwide, primarily among children and young adults. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s most recent FluView dashboard reports a 5% rate of positivity for the week ending November 22, 2025, up from 2.9% the week before. Overall, activity is low, however, of the influenza A cases subtyped, H3N2 accounted for 82.3% of them. There is some concern over a variant of H3N2 called subclade K, which is …
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Urgent Message: Pediatric patients frequently present to urgent care with musculoskeletal complaints, but clinicians must remain aware of the less common surgical and medical emergencies that can present with these symptoms. Key Words: Slipped Capital Femoral Epiphysis; Pediatric Limp; Antalgic Gait; Obesity; Urgent Care Diagnosis Abstract Clinical Presentation: A 13-year-old male presented to a pediatric urgent care with the chief complaint of left calf pain for a month that had acutely worsened over the past …
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Urgent Message: Reproducible chest wall pain is often considered a symptom that indicates a musculoskeletal diagnosis. However, it should not be used as the sole criterion for ruling out acute coronary syndrome, especially in high-risk populations. Key Words: STEMI; Reproducible Chest Pain; Atypical ACS; Urgent Care Evaluation Abstract Introduction: Chest pain remains a leading cause of emergency department (ED) visits, and its differential encompasses both life-threatening and benign conditions. In the United States, the lifetime …
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Phyllis Dobberstein, CPC, CPMA, CPCO, CEMC, CCC, is Revenue Integrity Manager at Experity. The financial and reputational health of an urgent care practice depends on one simple principle: Bill accurately and compliantly. Yet as reimbursement rules evolve and staffing models shift toward greater reliance on non-physician practitioners (NPPs), many centers find themselves at risk for costly missteps. From billing under the wrong provider to out-of-network (OON) complications and False Claims Act (FCA) violations, administrators are …
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About three-quarters of urgent care centers test for C. trachomatis and N. gonorrhoeae (CT/NG) infections either in-house or by sending out, but utilization lags. Here’s why it matters. An Urgent Care Consultants analysis of 90,856,421 visits charted in the Experity EMR (January 1, 2022–September 13, 2025) shows adoption has broadened since the previous analysis.1 Across visits in all clinics, only about 1% included a CT/NG test, while the top-decile clinics test in roughly 4–5% of …
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A 52-year-old man presents to urgent care with a 2-day history of left calf pain, described as dull, non-radiating, and worsened by walking. He recently flew from Los Angeles to New York. His history includes hypertension managed with lisinopril. He denies fever, chest pain, shortness of breath, recent surgery, or prior clots. He appears well and is hemodynamically stable. Exam reveals mild swelling and tenderness in the left calf and popliteal region without erythema or …
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A 55-year-old male presents to urgent care with progressive dyspnea for 2 weeks associated with lower extremity edema. The patient is afebrile, slightly tachypneic, with bilateral lower extremity edema on exam. An ECG is ordered. View the ECG and consider what your diagnosis and next steps would be. Resolution of the case is described on the next page.
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As we close out 2025, I find myself reflecting on a year defined by both challenge and progress. It’s been a year of reconnection—of reestablishing relationships, realigning priorities, and recommitting to what makes Urgent Care such an essential part of healthcare. Whether through chapter conferences, advocacy meetings, or direct conversations with our members, one message continues to ring true: our collective story has never been more important to tell, and data is one of the …
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Urgent Message: Banning generative artificial intelligence can create a culture of secretive use that presents potential risks for legal liability, clinical harm, and degradation of reputation. Key Words: Generative Artificial Intelligence; Protected Health Information; HIPAA; Clinical Decision-Making Across urgent care centers, many clinicians are experimenting with generative artificial intelligence (AI) tools. The trend is measurable, not anecdotal. The American Medical Association reports that 2 in 3 physicians used AI in 2024—a stunning rise from 38% …
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New data from the World Health Organization (WHO) warns of a rise in drug-resistant gonorrhea worldwide. According to a news release from the agency’s Enhanced Gonococcal Antimicrobial Surveillance Program, resistance to ceftriaxone and cefixime—2 first-line antibiotics for gonorrhea—has increased. From 2022 to 2024, ceftriaxone resistance rose from 0.8% to 5%, while cefixime resistance rose from 1.7% to 11%. Resistance to azithromycin, which is often used alongside ceftriaxone or cefixime, also increased from 0.5% to 4%, …
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