When it comes to measuring your financial performance, metrics translate the actions of others into insight. They provide visibility into the efficacy of your overall billing process. But while they may shine a light on where you need to improve, they don’t tell you how to do it. For a better understanding of how well your clinic is optimizing the billing process, look at your everyday practices. Our revenue cycle management (RCM) experts compiled 10 …
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A 58-Year-Old Male with Chest Pain
The patients is a 58-year-old male who presents with chest pain. He describes it as sharp, lasting seconds, and worsened by lifting objects at work. Review the initial ECG taken and consider what your diagnosis and next steps could be. Resolution of the case is described on the next page. (Case presented by Tom Fadial, MD, Assistant Professor, McGovern Medical School, The University of Texas Health Sciences Center of Houston.)
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A 22-Year-Old with Chronic Foot Pain
The patient is a 22-year-old male who presents for a pre-employment physical. During the exam, he mentions foot pain of several years’ duration, the origin of which he has no explanation. View the image taken and consider what your diagnosis and next steps would be. Resolution of the case is described on the next page.
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R-E-S-P-E-C-T
“Do you know what the first question anyone gets asked at these things nowadays?” asked a member at a recent industry event. I didn’t know the answer, and when I heard it, I was speechless. He said, “They ask you how many urgent cares you have.” Who are we becoming when this is our measurement of worthiness? When did size become the first thing that matters in our getting to know one another? Can we …
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Your Best Investment Is Growing Your Own Business
Urgent message: Many urgent care operators took full advantage of opportunities to serve their communities during the pandemic, accumulating cash in the process. While many question what comes next, there’s no better time to grow your own urgent care business. Alan A. Ayers, MBA, MAcc is President of Experity Networks and is Senior Editor of The Journal of Urgent Care Medicine. On March 11, 2020, the World Health Organization declared COVID-19 a pandemic, and within …
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A 6-Year-Old Girl with Papules on Her Abdomen
A 6-year-old girl presents to urgent care for vaccinations at the start of the school year. Her father asks the pediatric provider to look at bumps that developed on her abdomen about 4 weeks ago. They consist of tiny papules, some scattered and some in linear configurations. The patient is asymptomatic without pain or itching. Her father is concerned because they have not resolved. View the image in this context and consider what your diagnosis …
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A 36-Year-Old Male with Chronic, Worsening Hip Pain
The patient is a 36-year-old male who presents with left hip pain for “years.” The pain is motion- or position-related and over time there has been occasional pain in his buttock, back, and thigh. Additionally, he has stiffness, clicking, locking, and catching. View the image taken and consider what your diagnosis and next steps would be. Resolution of the case is described on the next page.
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When X-Rays Lie: Important Orthopedic Diagnoses to Consider with Normal Imaging
Urgent message: Musculoskeletal pain is a common urgent care complaint, with x-rays very commonly ordered. However, a “normal” image does not necessarily support eliminating what could be a serious injury from the differential diagnosis. Arun Sayal, MD, CCFP(EM) Citation: Sayal A. When X-Rays Lie: Important Orthopedic Diagnoses to Consider with Normal Imaging. J Urgent Care Med. 2022;16(7):13-16. Medical tests lie. Not intentionally, of course, but their result may not align with reality. A test may …
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A 21-Year-Old Male Presents with Altered Mental Status After a Vehicle Accident
KEY QUESTIONS What phenomenon explains the ST elevations in this ECG? What are the features of this condition? What is the clinical significance of this phenomenon?
Read MoreWhat Else is New in 2022?
The Protecting Medicare and American Farmers from Sequester Cuts Act was signed into law on December 10, 2021. This law addresses the reduction in the 2022 Conversion Factor set by the Physician Final Rule, as reported in my December column, increasing the 2022 Conversion Factor by 3%. The new conversion factor becomes $34.61 compared to $34.89 in 2021. With the increase in Relative Value Units on most E/M codes, the impact to 2022 rates becomes …
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