Practice Management
The Urgent Care Association (UCA) continues to seek differentiation for urgent care in the place of service (POS) definitions used by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) to construct payment schedules, which are updated yearly. In the 2026 Medicare Physician Fee Schedule, UCA’s advocacy efforts were noted in the Federal Register document with a statement indicating comments offered about the POS for urgent care will be taken into consideration by CMS for possible …
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A recent MedCity News survey reveals that providers end up investing about 2-10% of the collection value of their claims on subsequent efforts to chase down payment, scrubbing away at margins and slowing administrative workflows in revenue cycle management. At the same time, 90% of hospital and physician practice respondents say they are at least somewhat interested in artificial intelligence tech tools to make improvements in billing, and about 66% already have experience with such …
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Urgent Message: As shortness of breath and edema are common in pregnancy, urgent care clinicians must distinguish patients with normal physiologic changes from those with emergent conditions like venous thromboembolism, hypertension, eclampsia, and cardiomyopathy. John Ramos, MMS, PA-C, CAQ-EM Key Words: Ambulatory Care; Differential Diagnosis; Dyspnea; Pregnancy Complications; Pregnancy Complications, Cardiovascular Abstract Background: Physiologic changes in pregnancy contribute to shortness of breath and edema. However, these symptoms can also be caused by serious etiologies including …
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A meta-analysis published in the New England Journal of Medicine of 511 studies found peer-reviewed evidence supports the safety and effectiveness of vaccines for COVID-19, respiratory syncytial virus (RSV), and influenza during the 2025–2026 season. The COVID-19 vaccines for the XBB.1.5 variant had a pooled vaccine effectiveness against hospitalization of 46-50% among adults and 37% among adults with weakened immune systems, according to the analysis. For RSV, vaccines had pooled estimates of 68% for maternal …
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Urgent Message: Urgent care centers are not required to deliver the “best possible care” but rather an “acceptable” level of care, which is legally defined as the “standard of care.” Alan A. Ayers, MBA, MAcc Key Words: Standard of Care, Medical Malpractice, Medical Negligence, Legal Compliance, Disciplinary Action Medical malpractice occurs when a physician’s actions, or failure to act, during patient care don’t meet accepted medical standards and cause harm to the patient. To be …
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Urgent Message: In adolescents presenting with persistent chest pain and systemic symptoms, clinicians should maintain a high index of suspicion for autoimmune etiologies such as systemic lupus erythematosus causing pericardial and pleural effusions. Asra Usmani, MBBS, MD; Ali Baidoun, MD; Aaron Mahoney, DO; Megan Sikkema, DO Key Words: Pericardial Effusion, Pleural Effusion, Systemic Lupus Erythematosus, Chest Pain, Adolescent Abstract Introduction: Systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) is a chronic autoimmune condition that can affect multiple organ systems. …
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Urgent Message: Patients frequently utilize urgent care centers for testing and treatment of sexually transmitted infections. All clinicians can be a first line defense to control the spread and combat the current epidemic. Alexandra Faraj, PA-S; Nadesha Muniz, MS Ed, PA-C Key Words: Sexually Transmitted Infections; Chlamydia; Gonorrhea; Syphilis; Expedited Partner Therapy; Urgent Care Abstract The rise in sexually transmitted infections (STIs) in the United States is a major public health concern. Patients frequently utilize …
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As of August 12, 2025, there are 726 orthopedic urgent care (OUC) rooftops in the United States, according to National Urgent Care Realty and Urgent Care Consultants. Based on centers added since January 1, 2025, the estimated annual rooftop growth for 2025 is 10.9%. The charts highlight the market’s structure: Most sites operate without hospital affiliation, and OUC is largely a scaled, multisite business rather than single-location clinics. Only 9% of OUC rooftops are single …
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Countless times over the last year I have heard variations on a “we can’t” theme. It’s a specific and focused “we can’t” related to the services we are not able to provide to our urgent care patients. “We can’t do that test.” “We can’t use that medication in clinic.” “We can’t have our medical assistants do that.” Sadly, it is purely a reflection of education and training. However, as opposed to responding with increased training …
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In last month’s column, I wrote about the importance of proving Urgent Care’s value—not just in terms of access and convenience, but also in demonstrating the quality outcomes and systemwide impact that make our care essential to patients, payers, employers, and policymakers alike. Over the past several weeks, I’ve had the privilege of hearing from many of you who share this same commitment and are eager to help strengthen Urgent Care’s position in the healthcare …
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