Practice Management
Jennifer Ilgauskas saw how much her husband—former Cleveland Cavaliers center Zydrunas Ilgauskas—relied on doctors and physical therapists to overcome injuries as quickly and safely as possible in his playing days. Now she says that inspired her to put her Master’s degree in public health to use by opening an urgent care center with a physician partner. That operation has been going so well that the duo just opened a second urgent care business, Lakewood Urgent …
Read More
Urgent care centers are distinct from emergency rooms by virtue of the amount of time patients can expect to wait, cost, and the acuity of care offered. A federal court in Rhode Island determined that, at least in one case, they can be held to the same requirements of the Emergency Medical Treatment and Active Labor Act (EMTALA) as hospital emergency departments, though. Friedrich, et al v South County Hospital Healthcare System, et al centered …
Read More
With many states stuck in their peak flu seasons and death tolls rising—24 people have died from influenza in the state of Washington, alone—urgent care centers are being called upon to offer twofold support: First, to administer flu shots to patients who haven’t received them and provide supportive care for those who have influenza, and second, to care for patients fleeing emergency rooms that are overflowing with flu patients. Make sure area primary care office …
Read More
Total Access Urgent Care in Missouri promises to provide “fast, friendly, affordable care.” It’s a catchy enough phrase, but what’s most arresting about it is that potential patients aren’t hearing it in a traditional TV or radio ad, or reading it in a brochure; they’re absorbing it in a brief, 15-second clip that precedes a local sports story they clicked on while visiting the St. Louis Fox Television affiliate’s website. Total Access, which bills itself …
Read More
Inclement winter weather doesn’t stop people from needing fast access to good medical care—if anything, the perils of walking or driving on icy surfaces may lead some to seek an urgent care center for the first time. Even if their complaints are the garden variety sore throat or UTI, some may think twice about venturing out to a crowded emergency room. And primary care offices do close suddenly on occasion. It would be wise to …
Read More
Even urgent care centers, known for their ability to get patients in and out far more efficiently than other settings, can seem too slow for some patients on a given day. New technologies are improving systems all the time, though, making it possible for patients to cut the time of an urgent care visit even further. For one, PhysicianOne Urgent Care offers patients the chance to view the current wait time at any of its …
Read More
Military veterans’ access to healthcare took a huge leap forward last year—and urgent care was a big factor, according to a new study by the University of Pittsburgh Joseph M. Katz Graduate School of Business and the University of Pittsburgh School of Pharmacy, Program Evaluation and Research Unit (PERU). Working in conjunction with the Department of Veteran Affairs (VA), the researchers concluded that MyVA Access, implemented in 2015, established sustainable solutions within VA facilities to …
Read More
Urgent message: Medical assistants (MAs) provide flexible, cost-effective clinical support for urgent care centers. With proper training and working under a physician’s supervision, an MA can perform most basic support functions in this setting. Introduction While there’s a lack of verifiable data as to the total number of unsuccessful urgent care endeavors, we can presume at least one common reason urgent care centers shutter their doors and permanently cease operations: they exhaust their working capital. …
Read More
The Food and Drug Administration says battery-powered medical carts are to blame for a series of fires in facilities across the country, leading the agency to publish a warning letter recommending that all medical offices, including urgent care centers, take preventive measures. While the size of some carts makes their use prohibitive in many urgent care locations, larger centers, such as those that might be affiliated with a healthcare system, that use such systems are …
Read More
An expected holiday rush moved Baptist Health Madisonville (Alabama) to implore area residents to try urgent care for medical needs that might not warrant a trip to its emergency room. Kristy Quinn, the hospital’s marketing and public relations director, says high traffic times like the early-winter holidays make it difficult for the hospital to treat low-acuity cases that could be handled safely in the urgent care setting. “If people can evaluate what they are coming …
Read More