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Outdated Regulations Hamper Urgent Care X-ray Services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 …

HCA’s Medical City Adds 13 Urgent Care Centers To Its Portfolio

Medical City Healthcare, a subsidiary of HCA Healthcare, this week acquired 13 CommunityMed urgent care centers that will become part of its CareNow Urgent Care network, according to a press release. Currently operating 22 hospitals as well as a number of freestanding emergency departments and ambulatory surgery centers in northern Texas, Medical City Healthcare will now have more than 95 CareNow branded sites across the state—including 2 located in Walmart stores. The deal also expands …

Challenge of Antibiotic Stewardship Amplified in Urgent Care

A recent post from the Association of American Medical Colleges provides an update on the worldwide issue of antibiotic-resistant infections, including the factors contributing to the problem and some of the methods for solving it. More than 2 million antimicrobial-resistant infections occur each year in the United States, leading to 35,000 deaths, and globally, 1.2 million people die from such infections. In the outpatient setting overall, about 10% of visits result in a prescription for …

New 5-in-1 Meningococcal Vaccine Adds to Provider Options

The Food and Drug Administration has approved a meningococcal ABCWY vaccine for use in individuals aged 10 to 25 years, according to a press release from manufacturer GSK. The vaccine targets 5 groups of the bacteria Neisseria meningitidis (A,B,C,W, and Y), which represent the most invasive meningococcal disease cases globally. The vaccine combines antigenic components of the meningococcal group B vaccine and meningococcal groups A, C, Y, and W-135 oligosaccharide diphtheria CRM197 conjugate vaccine. Trial …

What Happens to Kids With Hypertension When They Grow Up?

In a cohort study of children and adolescents with elevated blood pressure (BP) and/or hypertension, researchers found that as adults, those same individuals had a 16% to 63% chance of returning to normal BP levels. The 2,918 children with elevated BP who were studied were more than twice as likely to have elevated BP/hypertension as adults, according to research published in JAMA Pediatrics. Children with normal BP often sustained it into adolescence, but the probability …

RSV Vaccine Found Effective in First Season of Use

Use of nirsevimab was found to be 89% effective against acute respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) infection and 93% effective against hospitalization among children younger than age 5 in a recent study published in JAMA Pediatrics. The study examined data in 7 academic pediatric medical centers in the United States from 2017 to 2020 and data from the 2023-2024 RSV season. It was only in July 2023—right before the 2023-2024 RSV season—that nirsevimab first became available. …

Obesity On Course to Reach 213 Million Adults and 43 Million Kids

A new study in The Lancet estimates the prevalence of overweight and obesity in the United States while also forecasting the trends for America’s long-term future. Researchers found that by 2050, the total number of children and adolescents with overweight and obesity will reach 43.1 million (37.2–47.4), and the total number of adults with overweight and obesity will reach 213 million (202–221). That means a projected 1 in 3 adolescents and 2 in 3 adults …

STI Rates Slowing But Still 90% Higher Than 20 Years Ago

Although the number of sexually transmitted infections (STIs) remains high, the epidemic could be slowing, according to the latest report from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). More than 2.4 million cases of STIs were reported in 2023 with syphilis cases increasing by just 1% after years of double-digit increases. There was a downward trend in congenital syphilis with just a 3% increase for the year, compared with 30% annual increases in recent …

Xpress Wellness Expands Footprint in Texas With Affordacare Deal

Xpress Wellness has acquired 3 new urgent care clinic locations in Wichita Falls, Granbury, and Stephenville, Texas, according to the company press release. The Affordacare Urgent Care clinics now added to its portfolio will be rebranded under the Integrity Urgent Care flag starting next month. Integrity Urgent Care clinics also offer occupational medicine services and virtual care options. Larger portfolio: With this transaction, Xpress Wellness now operates 58 clinics across Texas, Oklahoma, and Kansas. See …

Why Long COVID is Hard to Pinpoint

A new study out of France published in Clinical Microbiology and Infection estimates the prevalence of long COVID while considering the fact that there is no universal definition of the condition. Researchers looked at several variations of long COVID characteristics to determine its prevalence. Of 10,615 adults sampled from August-November 2022, 54.5% reported SARS-CoV-2 infection with as many as 13.4% having long COVID, depending on which definition was used. When using the World Health Organization …

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