Journal of Urgent Care Medicine

Retail Competition Makes UC’s Path Forward Clear

New state laws have expanded the scope of practice for pharmacists, allowing consumers to access a longer list of health services at their local retail shop. Walmart, Walgreens Boots Alliance, and CVS Health are embracing the opportunities, aiming to boost their healthcare revenue from privately insured populations. According to a Bloomberg article, each of the retailers is rolling out everything from on-site symptom evaluation and testing to medication prescribing and treatment—all delivered by pharmacists—in 10 …

College Event Encourages Use of UC

Level Up MD Urgent Care recently presented an educational event at Bloomfield College in Bloomfield, New Jersey, designed to equip resident assistants with skills to address emergency health and safety concerns in student residence halls. Information focused on first-aid procedures as well as best practices to protect people from exposure to bodily fluids or bloodborne pathogens. There’s more: Discussions at the event included direct information about Level Up MD Urgent Care’s operational hours, location, and …

Cold Air For Croup Isn’t an Old Wives’ Tale

Results from a randomized controlled trial presented in Pediatrics indicates that exposing children with laryngotracheobronchitis/acute viral laryngotracheitis to cold, outdoor air (<10°C or <50°F) can be beneficial in reducing symptoms when used as an adjunct to oral dexamethasone. Children in the trial were aged 3 months to 10 years and were seen in a tertiary pediatric emergency department, where they received a single dose of 0.6 mg/kg oral dexamethasone. The group of patients who were …

Supine Blood Pressure Reading Has Advantages

Preliminary research presented by the American Heart Association at its hypertension scientific sessions this week in Boston suggests that measuring blood pressure while a person is lying down may be a better predictor of heart health than typical readings when a patient is sitting. Researchers analyzed data from a long-running study and found that supine blood pressure readings were more effective at predicting strokes, serious heart issues, and by comparison. The study’s 11,369 participants were …

As COVID Cases Rise, Home Tests Are Questioned

Urgent care centers across the United States are treating a rising number of COVID-19 cases, even among patients who say they tested negative at home. Nick Karr, MD, CEO and founder of Citra Urgent Care, noted as many as 20% of patients seeking care at the company’s seven locations in the Dallas/Fort Worth, Texas, area, are testing positive, as reported by Fox 4. Texas had a 32% week-over-week increase in cases recently with hospitalizations rising …

More PAs Choose the Urgent Care Setting

Just over 10% of certified physician assistants (PAs) with a specialty in emergency medicine worked in the urgent care practice setting in 2022, according to the National Commission on Certification of Physician Assistants in its recent statistical profile of PAs. Here’s the good news: While 10% is a small subset of the PA workforce within the emergency medicine category, it’s a significant jump from the 6.6% who reported working in UC settings in the commission’s …

Staff Shortages Inspire Creative Hiring Solutions

Total Access Urgent Care in the St. Louis area has temporarily closed five locations because of staffing shortages, according to Senior Vice President of Clinical Operations Kelly Baynes, as reported by the local Fox News station. Elsewhere in town, 24/7 Urgent Care has also closed two of its locations. Baynes confirmed the Total Access centers will reopen with appropriate staff and told the station the company recently launched an EMT class to attract job seekers to …

Atlanta’s New Drive-Through Urgent Care Is One To Watch

Now open in Atlanta, DriveThru Urgent Care by Viral Solutions promises exactly what its name implies: Patients can receive a selection of care services without leaving their vehicles. According to company officials, Viral Solutions tested nearly 4 million curbside patients for COVID-19 during the pandemic, an activity which laid the groundwork for this drive-through urgent care model, which specializes in testing for and treating seasonal respiratory illnesses. The center is open seven days a week …

The Fights We Can Win

Click Here to download the article PDF There’s been a lot of deep thinking around here lately. The questions we’ve been pondering have been with us for a long time, but often the answers don’t fully emerge when we want them to. They emerge when the moment is right. And sometimes, it takes new questions, or the same questions asked in a different way at a slightly different time or by a different person, for …

Improving Adherence to Clinical Practice Guidelines for the Treatment of Acute Otitis Media in Pediatric Patients

Urgent message: The treatment of acute otitis media is a common problem throughout healthcare. Many national provider organizations have emphasized the significance of proper diagnosis and treatment is essential for a full, uncomplicated recovery. Jessica M. Crandall, DNP, ARNP-FNP-BC and Misty Schwartz, PhD, RN Citation: Crandall JM, Schwartz M. Improving adherence to clinical practice guidelines for the treatment of acute otitis media in pediatric patients. J Urgent Care Med. 2023;17(11):25-34. Download the article PDF: Improving …

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