Practice Management
A 2026 report from the Heart Failure Society of America, published in the Journal of Cardiac Failure, highlights the growing risk and negative consequences of heart failure (HF) in the United States. Approximately 7.7 million adults (3%) currently have HF—a number projected to reach 11.4 million by 2050. Lifetime risk is approximately 24%, meaning that an individual in the United States has roughly a 1 in 4 chance of developing HF at some point during …
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Gepotidacin, a new oral antibiotic that was approved by the Food and Drug Administration in March 2025 for the treatment of female adults and pediatric patients (≥12 years, ≥40 kg) with uncomplicated urinary tract infections (UTIs) was found to provide rapid symptom improvement—as early as 24 hours after the first dose—according to results of a clinical trial published in JAMA Network Open. The nonrandomized study enrolled 97 patients at 21 U.S. sites who received gepotidacin …
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For many common bacterial infections, shorter antibiotic durations are often as effective and safer than longer duration regimens. However, a national survey published in Open Forum Infectious Diseases found that most U.S. adults perceive longer antibiotic courses to be better despite the evidence. Researchers at the University of Utah surveyed 1,475 adults in March–April 2024 about antibiotic use for bacterial respiratory infections. Overall, 60.4% of patients answering the online survey said they preferred courses lasting …
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In an opinion article published in Academic Emergency Medicine, an emergency medicine professor at the University of Virginia notes that emergency departments (EDs) have become the default destination for nearly all acute, unscheduled care, even when patients do not require emergency-level services. This approach contributes to overcrowding, inefficient resource use, and care delays for patients with life-threatening conditions. The author, R. Andrew Taylor, MD, MHS, proposes a conceptual engineering framework to redefine emergency care according …
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Antibiotic stewardship initiatives in urgent care may improve prescribing practices beyond just their original objectives, according to a study published in the Journal of the Pediatric Infectious Diseases Society. A national quality improvement collaborative involving 92 pediatric urgent care sites examined antibiotic prescribing duration for acute respiratory infections in children aged 6 months–18 years. Researchers analyzed 257,879 encounters involving antibiotic prescriptions between April 2022 and September 2024. Although the program focused on improving first-line antibiotic …
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Utah is expanding its testing of AI as a tool for prescribing medications with the possibility that some test programs could eventually allow prescriptions to be ordered by AI autonomously without direct clinician involvement. Last week, the state’s Office of Artificial Intelligence Policy approved several new pilots, including a program that could allow prescriptions for dermatology drugs to be written based on a dermatology app that assesses acne through patient-provided photos. Initially, physicians will review …
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In a new trend report that examines healthcare spending in the United States based on a large claims database, Trilliant Health notes that from 2018 to 2025, there was a measurable shift toward higher-acuity procedure codes across all of healthcare. In urgent care specifically, use of higher-acuity codes such as CPT 99204 increased from 22.4% in 2020 to 42.3% in 2025, while at the same time, lower-acuity codes like CPT 99202 declined from 17.8% to …
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A study published in JAMA Network Open suggests that sustained use of real-time continuous glucose monitoring (rtCGM) may improve long-term glycemic control and reduce markers of kidney damage in high-risk adults with poorly controlled type 2 diabetes. Researchers analyzed 25,648 patients in the Kaiser Permanente Northern California system, including 2,771 who initiated rtCGM and 22,877 controls who did not use CGM. Participants had a mean baseline hemoglobin A1c (HbA1c) of 9.5%. After 1 year, rtCGM …
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The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) recently announced a $4 million initiative to expand access to rapid, point-of-care syphilis testing, including in emergency departments and other healthcare settings where testing is typically not part of routine care. Congenital syphilis cases have increased for 12 consecutive years, with nearly 4,000 cases reported in 2024, representing a nearly 700% increase over the past decade, according to HHS. In 2023, congenital syphilis contributed to 279 stillbirths …
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There is strong evidence that e-bike injuries have increased in the United States, particularly injuries resulting in emergency department visits. A JAMA Network Open analysis found that e-bike injuries increased by more than 99% annually from 2017 to 2022, while conventional bicycle injuries did not increase significantly. Additionally, a more recent post from the Colorado Sun notes that clinicians at Children’s Hospital Colorado are seeing increases in serious trauma—particularly traumatic brain and facial injuries—associated with …
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