Journal of Urgent Care Medicine

Outdated Regulations Hamper Urgent Care X-ray Services

Recently, the Rochester Regional Health system in New York discontinued on-site x-ray services at 2 urgent care centers and reallocated those radiology technologists (RTs) to other urgent cares in the system that have higher patient demand, according to a local news site. Such optimization strategies could become more common in urgent care, given the state-specific requirements for radiology staff and the RT shortages across the nation. The reallocations of staff and discontinuations of x-ray services …

Rhett Lankford Appointed AFC President

American Family Care (AFC) has announced the appointment of Rhett Lankford as president. In the role, Lankford will report to Chief Executive Officer Jeremy Morgan and help lead AFC’s ongoing expansion efforts. According to the announcement, Lankford brings more than 20 years of experience in healthcare operations and management services organizations (MSOs). Most recently, he served as senior vice president and general manager at NAPA Managed Services, where he oversaw anesthesia-MSO operations across hospitals, surgical …

Do Patients Read After Visit Summaries? Urgent Care Shows Best Engagement

After visit summaries (AVSs) are the main tool to communicate appropriate follow-up recommendations for patients after an episode of care, and for some providers in Medicare enhanced-payment contracts, the summaries are a requirement. Yet some clinicians might view the task of writing AVSs as a time-consuming burden, especially when patients may not even read their summaries. An analysis published in JAMA Network Open of more than 6.2 million ambulatory visits from June 1, 2018, to …

12-Year-Old Boy With Left Groin and Buttock Pain

A 12-year-old male presents to urgent care with his mother for left groin and buttock pain since acute onset while running in a track meet earlier today. He reports that he felt a pop while running a sprint race and was subsequently unable to finish the race or bear weight on his left leg due to pain. He has no other past medical history and takes no medications. Physical exam reveals that he is afebrile …

39-Year-Old Male With Itchy Rash to Chest

A 39-year-old male presents to the local urgent care reporting an intensely itchy rash for the past 3 weeks that is getting gradually worse. The patient has a history of HIV infection, denies any recent travel or trauma, and is not taking any medications. Physical exam shows he is afebrile with normal vital signs. He has diffuse papular lesions to the trunk and arms ranging from pink to dark brown in color, some with notable …

42-Year-Old With Altered Mental Status

The family of a 42-year-old male brings the patient to urgent care for altered mental status believing that they had arrived at an emergency department. His family found him on the floor at home with a non-functioning heater on a very cold day. He is bradycardic and ill-appearing. An ECG is obtained.

A Call for Physician Specialty Recognition and Improved Training Pathways in Urgent Care

Cesar Mora Jaramillo, MD, FAAFP, FCUCM, DABFM With more than 15,000 centers and 200 million visits a year, urgent care centers (UCCs) play a critical role in the U.S. healthcare ecosystem.[1] Despite its impact and rapid growth, urgent care (UC) remains a unique clinical field that has not yet been matched with a standardized training or certification pathway for physicians. This needs to change. Practicing high-quality UC medicine requires a distinct skill set, including rapid …

Medicare 2026 Therapy Services Update: Key Changes and What Providers Need to Know

Cindy Dickey; Tricia Krueger, CPC The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) has introduced several important updates to therapy services for calendar year (CY) 2026. These changes affect reimbursement thresholds, telehealth services, coding practices, and payment reductions. Providers—including physical therapists (PTs), occupational therapists (OTs), and speech-language pathologists (SLPs)—should understand these updates to ensure compliance and optimize billing practices. One of the most notable updates is the adjustment of the KX modifier threshold. For CY …

The Structural Divide in Urgent Care Occupational Medicine

Data reveals that occupational medicine in urgent care is fundamentally top-heavy. As the table illustrates, the top 20% of clinics drive 29% of their total occupational medicine visit volume through employer-paid services (EPS) and workers’ compensation (WC) -paid services, averaging 12 daily visits. Conversely, the bottom 20% average less than 1 visit per day from these 2 payer types. Private-insurer or patient-paid services account for the balance of the visits overall. This stark disparity is …

Our Voice Is Getting Stronger – Let’s Use It

As we move into June, I’ve been reflecting on the momentum we’ve built and what we do with it next. Our Convention in Chicago brought our field together in a powerful way. The conversations were thoughtful, practical, and forward-looking. We saw alignment forming around some of the most important issues we face: advocacy, workforce, reimbursement, and the continued evolution of our care model. Since then, that momentum has continued. Our work in Washington is advancing. …

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