Practice Management
Across the retail landscape, Rite Aid has appointed a new CEO and filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy with a restructuring plan to reduce its debt. The drugstore chain has been contending with declining sales, mounting debt, and multiple lawsuits related to the opioid epidemic, according to Yahoo News. Consequently, the company anticipates losses of $650-680 million by late February. What’s the outlook like? Rite Aid certainly has a lot of ground to cover. Larger rivals …
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Rates of new-onset type 2 diabetes increased by 62% and type 1 diabetes by 17% among US youth after the COVID-19 pandemic began, with a significant rise observed in Black and Hispanic populations, according to a study in JAMA Network Open. The study, conducted by Kaiser Permanente researchers, tracked diabetes rates among individuals 0 to 19 years old with no prior diabetes history from January 2016 to December 2021. The impact was particularly pronounced in: …
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The Administrative Rules Division of Michigan is recommending the state’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration adopt American Registry of Radiologic Technologists (ARRT) standards for staff members who take x-ray images. Currently, Michigan does not require specific training for non-exempted x-ray techs—being one of approximately 10 states that allows urgent care (UC) employers to provide their own on-the-job training. However, if the ARRT proposal is adopted, x-ray techs would need an associate’s degree from an approved …
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Retail pharmacy giant Walgreens is intensifying its expansion into provider services by launching virtual care in nine states that represent a large swath of its existing customer base, according to Fierce Healthcare. The on-demand telehealth service will cover common health needs, including urgent care services. Patients can schedule virtual consultations with healthcare professionals via chat or video. Notably, Walgreens will not accept insurance for these visits with most chat encounters priced at $33 and video …
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The American Heart Association introduced the concept of a new medical condition called cardiovascular-kidney-metabolic syndrome (CKM) in a recent article in Circulation. The rising incidence of multiple chronic health issues in younger Americans, particularly obesity, diabetes, and heart and kidney disease, calls for earlier diagnosis and risk assessment, the association says. The synergy between metabolic risk factors, such as abdominal fat, high blood pressure, high cholesterol, and elevated blood sugar, has long-term effects on health …
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The fall 2023 class of fellows completing the WellNow Urgent Care Traditional and Accelerated Fellowship program turned their tassels and celebrated their graduation day at the end of September. Since 2018, a total of 216 fellows in 6 states have graduated from WellNow’s development programs, and 90 percent of graduates have gone on to serve in full time positions as advanced practice providers (APPs) at WellNow centers. According to Chief Medical Officer Robert Biernbaum, DO, …
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In recent years, the United States has witnessed a surge in cases of sexually transmitted diseases (STDs), notably chlamydia, syphilis, and gonorrhea, as per data sourced from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and analyzed by US News & World Report. In 2021, gonorrhea cases showed a 28% increase, and syphilis cases showed a spike of 74%. The cumulative burden of STDs was pronounced with more than 2.5 million reported cases of chlamydia, …
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In a recent webcast, Steve Cain, CEO of UnitedHealthcare of California, and Myoung Cha, Chief Strategy Officer of Carbon Health, announced that the insurer will begin an at-risk primary care arrangement for the state’s commercial PPO market in partnership with Carbon Health, starting in January 2024. The deal represents Carbon Health’s first at-risk arrangement. Under the contract, Carbon Health will be accountable for the total cost of care for UnitedHealthcare’s PPO-covered lives in the state over the …
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Joshua Russell, MD, MSc, FCUCM, FACEP In its most modern form, medicine revolves around action. We are trained as clinicians to assess, diagnose, and intervene, but it’s the intervention part that patients expect most. This is especially true in urgent care (UC), where patients usually present in anticipation of some swift action for whatever is bothering them. I recently saw a healthy, middle-aged man in our clinic who was complaining of some mild chest pain. …
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A 46-year-old man with a history of hypertension presented in an urgent care center saying he’s had chest pain for 2 days. He also said the pain has been worsening each day, and today it is severe. He denies nausea, vomiting, or shortness of breath. On exam, he appears uncomfortable but has normal vital signs. View the ECG captured above and consider what your diagnosis and next steps would be. Resolution of the case is …
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