Journal of Urgent Care Medicine

Urgent Care Assessment and Management of Shoulder Dislocations

Urgent Message: The vast majority of shoulder dislocations are anterior, occurring when stress is applied to an externally rotated and abducted shoulder. In most cases, immediate reduction is indicated, and urgent care clinicians should be familiar with situations that call for emergency department referral. Jennifer Hicks, DO; Matthew B. Baird, MD Citation: Hicks J, Baird MB. Urgent Care Assessment and Management of Shoulder Dislocations. J Urgent Care Med. 2025; 19(5):9-15 Questions for the Clinician at …

The Legality of Docking the Pay of Urgent Care Employees

Urgent Message: While legal under circumstances outlined by federal and state law, docking employee pay for violating an employer’s policies may be viewed as demoralizing and unethical versus punitive actions like warnings or suspension. Alan A. Ayers, MBA, MAcc Citation: Ayers AA. The Legality of Docking the Pay of Urgent Care Employees. J Urgent Care Med. 2025; 19(5):41-43 Workers frequently make mistakes on the job. Some are mere oversights that are quickly corrected, while others …

Starting an Urgent Care in a New Era

Urgent Message: Today, there are very few market opportunities for urgent care that present no competition, so operators must assess not just the existence of local competition but also the nuanced qualities of each competitor. Heather Real Citation: Real H. Starting an Urgent Care in a New Era. J Urgent Care Med. 2025; 19(5)37-39 The urgent care industry has come a long way over the last several decades. With 2024 being the first year where …

Advocate Pulls Urgent Care Centers Out of Walgreens Stores

Advocate Health Care will close all 47 of its Illinois urgent care centers that operate inside Walgreens retail pharmacy stores as well as several in Wisconsin, according to a statement from Advocate Health Care as reported by NBC. Company leaders made the decision to instead focus on virtual care and urgent care in other community locations. The clinics will close next week. Advocate—the largest health system in Illinois and the 3rd largest nonprofit system in …

Ardent Health Buys 18 NextCare Locations

Ardent Health, which operates 30 acute care hospitals in 6 states, last week acquired 18 urgent care clinics from NextCare Urgent Care. NextCare is in the Enhanced Healthcare Partners investment portfolio and up until now included approximately 170 clinic locations, according to a 2024 JUCM analysis. The transaction includes 6 urgent care clinics in New Mexico, which will operate as part of Lovelace Health System, as well as 12 clinics in Oklahoma that will become …

Reimagining Retail Pharmacy as Major Chains Downsize Offerings

Urgent Message: As retail pharmacies reinvent themselves, urgent care has an opportunity to grow within the shifting market dynamic. Alan A. Ayers, MBA, MAcc, is President of Urgent Care Consultants and Senior Editor of JUCM: The Journal of Urgent Care Medicine. Citation: Ayers AA. Reimagining Retail Pharmacy as Major Chains Downsize Offerings. J Urgent Care Med. 2025 19(4)43-47. Retail pharmacies are at a crossroads. Once the go-to destination for prescriptions and over-the-counter health/beauty merchandise, major …

Urgent Care Considerations for the Patient with Suspected Rib Fracture

Urgent Message: Rib fractures most commonly occur after blunt chest injury. Consider serious associated injuries such as pneumothorax, hemothorax, and pulmonary contusion when assessing patients with suspected rib fractures. Ensuring appropriate analgesia is critical for reducing the risk of complications. Dustin M. Nelson, BS; Shering Torres, MAS, MD; Michael Weinstock, MD Citation: Nelson DM, Torres S, Weinstock M. Urgent Care Considerations for the Patient with Suspected Rib Fracture. J Urgent Care Med. 2025; 19(4): 13-21 …

29-Year-Old With Pain After Foot Inversion

A 29-year-old man presents to urgent care on a Saturday with pain in his left foot after playing tennis. A series of x-rays is ordered. Review the images below and consider what your diagnosis and next steps would be. Resolution of the case is described on the following page. Differential Diagnosis Diagnosis The correct diagnosis is an avulsion fracture of the base of the 5th metatarsal. The x-ray shows transverse lucency at the base of …

Provider Compensation Increasing Since 2022

By comparing 2022 and 2024 hourly compensation data from the Urgent Care Association (UCA) Clinician Compensation Benchmarking Report, data shows that there has been a 15% increase in nurse practitioner (NP) and physician assistant (PA) pay. Meanwhile, there was an average 19% increase in physician (MD and DO) pay.1 In 2024, the median reported hourly base compensation (excluding bonuses and incentives) showed an increase compared to 2022 rates across all clinician types. This rise likely …

It’s the Most Wonderful Time of the Year!

I hope you have had a wonderful holiday season and that your centers are full of patients…but also that you and your colleagues have managed to stay healthy! For the Urgent Care Association (UCA), the College of Urgent Care Medicine (CUCM), the Urgent Care College of Physicians (UCCOP), and the Urgent Care Foundation (UCF), Q1 is Urgent Care Convention ramp-up time, leading toward our favorite time of year when we all get to gather and …

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