November 21, 2024
Thank you for joining us during USAAW. We recognize Antibiotic Stewardship work goes beyond one week a year, so we have provided some resources to support your Urgent Care center’s Antibiotic Stewardship.
A Q&A from Joseph Toscano, MD, FCUCM
What Are Antibiotics and When Should They Be Used?
Antibiotics are medications which work together with our bodies’ immune systems to slow or stop infections caused by bacteria. Because particular antibiotics are geared toward particular infections, they are best used after careful diagnosis and decision-making to confirm a bacterial diagnosis and match that to the proper antibiotic. Because many common infections are caused by viruses, and antibiotics do not work for viruses, antibiotics should not be used then.
A Note on Risks vs. Benefits from Christopher Chao, MD
Antibiotics are powerful life-saving medications. In modern history, the commercial development of antibiotics has saved countless lives and have reduced morbidity and mortality from common infectious diseases. More recently, widespread use of antibiotics has resulted in the emergence of multi-drug-resistant pathogens, and this has contributed to increased morbidity and mortality rates. The public often forgets that antibiotics are not benign drugs and patients may experience adverse effects that can be life threatening including significant drug-drug interactions, anaphylaxis or C. difficile colitis.
Now is your chance to nominate fellow members of UCA to be recognized for their dedication and hard work while inspiring others to do the same.
Why nominate?
Nominations are due by January 13, 2025.
Urgent Care operators and clinicians from across the western region gathered at the DoubleTree by Hilton Irvine Spectrum for the 2024 Western Regional Urgent Care Conference, hosted by the California Urgent Care Association (CalUCA). Over the course of two days, attendees engaged in immersive sessions and discussions on critical topics shaping the Urgent Care landscape, with an emphasis on innovation, payment reform and Advocacy.
As an emergency physician who found his way into Urgent Care, Matthew DeLaney, MD joins us to share his stories and unique perspectives. We cover recent presentation trends and the practice of Urgent Care medicine in the fourth episode of Inside Urgent Care.
We have lots of work to do in 2025, and investing as a UCAdvocate supports the constant effort and lobbying required to make national-level change.
Since we have many projects and most are multi-year, a “greatest need” donation helps us direct funds where and when they are needed to ensure all projects can move forward.
Don’t let unspent 2024 dollars go to waste. Invest in advertising opportunities that reach your Urgent Care audience because now is the perfect time to set your brand up for success in 2025. Secure your spot in our 2025 advertising calendars today and lock in effective campaigns that keep you ahead of the competition.
Listen in as Advocacy Manager Kristin Rastatter walks you through the highlights, including Advocacy End of Year Campaign, the 2025 Physician Fee Schedule Final Rule and more, in this month’s Advocacy Newsletter.
Key Highlights:
Members pay less: As a UCA member, you receive $500 off the full price of the report. Learn more about becoming a member.
“The UCA Benchmarking studies are crucial to our practices and operations about Urgent Care. Whether it’s needing to know whether to make adjustments or just feel comfortable with where we stand, UCA’s reports are trusted and rock solid!”
The Q Workshop
January 14-15, 2025, Phoenix, AZ
2025 Urgent Care Convention
May 3-6, 2025, Dallas, TX
2025 Urgent Care Foundation Celebration
May 5, 2025, Dallas, TX
The Urgent Care Foundation has created and curated an Implementation Toolkit, through its partnership with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) to address the core elements of outpatient Antibiotic Stewardship in hopes that clinicians and all center staff have the education, expertise and resources they need for better Antibiotic Stewardship.
Implementation of an effective Antibiotic Stewardship program requires more than just an understanding of the need for better stewardship. It takes access to data to understand current prescribing performance and gain clinician commitment to change, tools to provide individualized feedback on prescribing performance and ways of tracking and measuring corrective actions.
The College of Urgent Care Medicine is pleased to announce Adrienne Vercher, FNP-C, FCUCM as its newest fellow. Adrienne is the Lead APP with Premier Health Consultant’s Lake Urgent Care Ascension Market in Baton Rouge, LA. Adrienne’s application included glowing references about her leadership, commitment to lifelong learning and her enthusiasm in promoting evidence-based Urgent Care medicine within her organization. She received her bachelor’s and master’s degrees in nursing from Southeastern Louisiana University. On behalf of the College of Urgent Care Medicine’s Fellowship Committee and its Board of Directors, congratulations Adrienne!
Urgent Updates are curated highlights of guidelines, reviewed by (and some directly coming from) Urgent Care clinicians. These highlights represent the actual intent of these articles and how they relate to the practice of Urgent Care medicine.
Join us for the final webinar of a 3-part series during U.S. Antibiotic Awareness Week. The final talk will cover ear complaints from an antibiotic approach.
Friday, November 22, at 11:00 a.m. CT
Missed the first two webinars? Download them today to hear from:
Infectious disease complaints represent 15-20 percent of visits to practitioners or well over 100 million visits per year in the U.S. A large number of these visits are associated with a subsequent prescription, with rates of overprescribing of antibiotics at approximately 50 percent for respiratory conditions and over 25 percent for other syndromes. In this webinar, we will present common case scenarios, share targeted insights on the epidemiology of these syndromes and illustrate how multiplex PCR (Polymerase Chain Reaction) with next-morning results can enhance diagnostic precision, treatment accuracy and patient satisfaction.
Learning objectives:
Sponsored by BD
Webinar: Wednesday, December 4, 12 p.m. ET
In this webinar, Amesh Adalja, MD FIDSA FACEP FACP, an infectious disease physician and Senior Scholar at the Johns Hopkins University Center for Health Security, will discuss the critical role(s) and value of rapid antigen testing at the point of care (POC). More specifically, he will discuss the evolution of POC testing and how it can help guide treatment and management decisions, improve patient outcomes and reduce antimicrobial resistance. Dr. Adalja will also cover lessons learned from last year’s respiratory season and highlight specific steps that healthcare providers can start taking now to better prepare themselves for the 2024-2025 respiratory season.
Learning objectives:
Sponsored by Aptitude Medical
Webinar: Thursday, December 5, 12 p.m. ET
How a new type of molecular diagnostics enables better medicine and better margins.
Antibiotic Stewardship is all about balance, meeting patient expectations while sticking to evidence-based care. This U.S. Antibiotic Awareness Week, we’re sharing a free segment from our Urgent Care RAP podcast. Join Guillermo Sanchez, PA-C from the CDC and Dr. Tiffany Proffitt as they debunk myths, discuss the impact of over-prescribing and share strategies for educating patients when antibiotics aren’t the answer.