Journal of Urgent Care Medicine

Dramatic Rise in Syphilis Cases Contribute to Penicillin Shortage

Syphilis rates increased by nearly 80% between 2018 and 2022, and what’s making matters worse is the ongoing shortage of injectable penicillin, the go-to treatment for patients with syphilis. Public health agencies now are recommending providers ration the drug, according to Kaiser Health News. Pregnant patients should be prioritized first because penicillin is considered the safest treatment for the population. Doxycycline would be an appropriate drug for syphilis cases, but it’s discouraged for pregnant moms …

Syphilis Cases Rise 80%—10 Times More Newborns Diagnosed

According to a newly released Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) report, 207,255 total syphilis cases were documented in the United States in 2022, representing a nearly 80% increase in just 5 years. Although cases hit historic lows in 2000 and 2002, the trendline has climbed steeply since. Cases in nearly every demographic group and region increased, CDC says. Even more concerning, 3,755 cases of congenital syphilis were recorded among newborns in 2022, which represents more …

CVS Closing 25 Clinics in Los Angeles

CVS revealed in a statement on January 30 that it will close 25 of its retail-store-based MinuteClinic locations in Greater Los Angeles in February, leaving just 11 rooftops in the area. The company said the closures will “help support future growth and design the next evolution of community health destinations,” according to reports from the LA Times and Orange County Register. Affected employees who do not find a new position within the company reportedly will …

12-Year-Old With Facial Trauma

A 12- year-old male presents to urgent care with his mother complaining of facial pain. The patient experienced a trip-and-fall accident at home. He landed on a carpeted floor and now complains of facial pain. View the image taken (occipitomental/Waters view) and consider what your diagnosis and next steps would be. Resolution of the case is described on the following page.

18-Year-Old With Chest Pain

An 18-year-old male presents with chest pain with coughing for one day. The patient has no known medical history. View the ECG captured above and consider what your diagnosis and next steps would be. Resolution of the case is described on the next page.

53-Year-Old With Spreading Rash

A 53-year-old man presents to urgent care concerned about a spreading rash underneath his arms for the past 3 weeks. He initially thought it was an allergic reaction to a new deodorant, but the rash persisted after stopping the deodorant. The rash is not itchy. The patient has a history of type 2 diabetes. On examination, a broad, well-demarcated, thin, scaly plaque is seen extending from the lateral chest over the axilla to the upper …

Using Urgent-Care-Based Telemedicine to Increase Primary Care Referrals: A Quality Improvement Project

Urgent Message: A quality improvement project demonstrated increased referral rates to primary care from an urgent care telemedicine service line for those who did not have a primary care provider. Brianna Woodruff, DNP, ARNP, FNP-C; Khara’ A. Jefferson, DNP, APRN, FNP-C, CHC Citation: Woodruff B, Jefferson K. Using Urgent-Care-Based Telemedicine to Increase Primary Care Referrals: A Quality Improvement Project. J Urgent Care Med. 2024; 18(5): 40-47. Key words: Effective care, primary care referral, telemedicine, urgent …

What’s In It For Me?

Do you remember what it was like in the summer of 2020? If that summer had a theme, it would have been “overlooked.” Everyone was jumping up and down and waving their arms to get the attention of suppliers, government agencies, payers, diagnostic companies, and pharmaceutical companies so we could meet the needs of the patients literally lining up in front of our centers. We had to fight for every single thing we got, and …

Case Report of Renal Cell Carcinoma Presenting to Urgent Care with Indolent Back Pain: A Wolf in Sheep’s Clothing

Urgent message: Although back pain is often due to benign etiologies, symptoms of progressive pain, weakness, and near syncope in one patient ultimately led to a diagnosis of renal cell carcinoma. Citation: Hamazaspyan A, Kedia A, Weinstock M. Case Report of Renal Cell Carcinoma Presenting to Urgent Care with Indolent Back Pain: A Wolf in Sheep’s Clothing. J Urgent Care Med. 2024;18(5): 17-22. Anahit Hamazaspyan DO; Ayush Kedia DO; Michael Weinstock MD Abstract Introduction Back …

Updates on Sports Related Concussion from the 6th International Conference on Concussion in Sport

Over the last 20 years, the Concussion in Sport Group has met periodically to develop statements guiding the assessment and management of sports related concussions. The most recent meeting of the group took place in Amsterdam, Netherlands, in October 2022 and produced updated and freely available, evidence-informed tools to assist in the detection and assessment of sports related concussion (SRC). These tools include: the Concussion Recognition Tool-6 (CRT6); Sport Concussion Assessment Tool-6 (SCAT6); Child SCAT6; …

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