Practice Management
The Oregon House of Representatives unanimously voted in favor of a bill that would set minimum care standards for Oregon’s urgent care clinics. Proponents describe the proposed legislation as a starting point to help patients choose an urgent care clinic appropriate for their situation because lawmakers believe there is little consistency among urgent cares in terms of the services they provide, according to local news outlet Lookout. The move is set against a backdrop of …
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As of February 19, 2026, there were 982 confirmed measles cases reported in the United States for the year so far, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)—a high case count for a year that is barely 2 months in. By comparison, there were a total of 2,280 cases through all of 2025. Public health leaders and clinicians are facing 5 new outbreaks this year in at least 26 states. Health departments …
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An analysis of 190 studies including 2.8 million children published in JAMA Pediatrics found that approximately 4.7% of children develop food allergy by age 6. The strongest risk factors for food allergy include several prior allergic conditions: atopic dermatitis in the first year of life (odds ratio [OR] 3.88, risk difference [RD] 12%); allergic rhinitis (OR 3.39, RD 10%); and wheeze (OR 2.11, RD 5%). Markers of skin barrier dysfunction, including elevated transepidermal water loss, …
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In 1990, 19.3% of American adults were considered obese. By 2022, the prevalence had increased to 42.5% of adults. Now researchers are predicting that by 2035, the percentage of adults who are obese will increase to 46.9%, as published in JAMA. Obesity is defined as a body mass index (BMI) of 30 or higher, although there are many who challenge the 200-year-old measure because it doesn’t translate well across different races, ethnicities, and genders. The …
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A new position paper in the Annals of Internal Medicine this month examines the impact on professional and ethical perceptions when the word “provider” is used to describe physicians. The American College of Physicians’ (ACP) Ethics, Professionalism and Human Rights Committee, which developed the paper, says that physicians should always be identified as “physicians,” and overall, more specific terminology should replace the word “provider.” Likewise, nonphysicians who deliver care should be called “healthcare professionals” or …
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The proportion of physician assistants (PAs) who are working in urgent care increased by 0.5% nationally from 2020 to 2024, according to the National Commission on Certification of Physician Assistants’ (NCCPA) 2024 annual statistical profile of PAs. About 5.6% of all certified PAs work in an urgent care setting. Only hospitals (42.3%) and office-based private practices (36.4%) show a larger proportion of PAs. Hawaii gained the most urgent care PAs from 2020 to 2024 with …
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Minnesota Health officials are reporting an outbreak of Trichophyton mentagrophytes type VII (TMVII), a fungus that causes ringworm and is associated with transmission through sexual contact, primarily among men who have sex with men. In July 2025, the first case of TMVII was confirmed in a resident who presented with a genital rash. Since then, the state has identified 13 confirmed cases and 27 suspected cases, officials say. The first case of TMVII in the …
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Covenant Health announced this month that it has acquired 2 Lakeway Urgent Care locations in Lenoir City and the Greater Knoxville, Tennessee, area. With the transaction, the nonprofit now has a total of 9 urgent care locations across the state. By way of history, in August 2023, Covenant Health Urgent Care launched as a joint venture between Covenant Health and Urgent Care Group, which then expanded by acquiring ParkMed Urgent Care. By late last year, …
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Many of the adverse events listed on the labels for statin drugs may not be supported by good evidence of a causal relationship, according to an analysis in The Lancet. Adverse events examined from 19 double-blind trials do not seem to show statin therapy causes cognitive impairment, depression, sleep disturbance, and peripheral neuropathy. Four events did have significance in the study. The authors say their analysis “has confirmed that statin therapy increases hepatic transaminase and …
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According to new data from the National Center for Health Statistics (NCHS), maternal syphilis rates in the United States are still on the increase, part of a decade-long trend of rising cases. From 2022 through 2024, maternal syphilis rates increased 28% overall (from 280.4 cases per 100,000 births to 357.9 cases). The rate climbed 16% between 2022 and 2023 and an additional 10% from 2023 to 2024. Looking at the long-term trend, previous data showed …
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