Urgent Care Centers

Introduction:

• Urgent care centers are convenient, on-demand care outlets similar to walk-in retail clinics, but are equipped to treat more serious ailments, including fractures, sprains, and wounds.
• Urgent care centers can serve as a first step in the patient journey as well by referring patients to follow-up appointments or ERs.

What are urgent care clinics?

Urgent care centers are convenient, on-demand care outlets similar to walk-in retail clinics, but rather than treating low-acuity conditions such as bronchitis and minor infections, urgent care clinics are equipped to treat more serious ailments, including fractures, sprains, and wounds. They also offer services like blood tests, stitching, and X-rays.

Urgent care centers can serve as a first step in the patient journey as well by referring patients to follow-up appointments or ERs. Though they should not be used for life-threatening emergencies, urgent care clinics provide easy access to quality healthcare for times when your primary care doctor is unavailable.

The urgent care market & business model

According to Consumer Reports, the number of urgent care facilities increased from 6,400 in 2014 to 8,100 in 2018, with another 500 to 600 expected to open. Some 24/7 urgent care centers function like satellite emergency rooms, and incur similar healthcare costs, while other centers simply charge copays.

Generally speaking, an urgent care visit is a money-saver for patients. A 2016 study in the Annals of Emergency Medicine found that ER treatment costs were about 10 times more (an average of about $2,200) than in an urgent care center (about $168) — even for patients with the same diagnosis.

Because of the overlap urgent care centers have with family medicine and emergency medicine, they are typically staffed accordingly with at least one medical physician or specialist, as well as a physician assistant, nurse practitioner, or radiologist available to see patients any time the facility is open.

Urgent care staffing models:

There are three major urgent care center staffing models:

• Physician Only: The most expensive model that uses no mid-level practitioners. However, it could be the most cost-effective options for new centers building their patient base.
• Mixed Model: A balance of physicians, physician assistants, and nurse practitioners for centers increasing in patient volume.
• Mid-Level Model: Centers staffed entirely by mid-level staff. This option is suitable for low acuity cases but may not be equipped to handle more complex patient needs.

The U.S. urgent care market size was estimated at USD 40.3 billion in 2022 and is anticipated to exhibit a CAGR of 6.2% over the forecast period. Shifting preference from primary care medical centers to urgent care (UC) centers is a trend being observed in the country over the recent past. This can be attributed to shorter wait times, transparency, and quality of healthcare provided by these centers. In addition, easy access to these centers is one of the contributing factors driving market growth.

Technological advancements and adoption of management software in urgent care centers are anticipated to boost market growth. UC centers being smaller than a typical hospital, are more flexible and quicker in adopting newer technologies. They utilize electronic portals for maintenance of records, visits, current treatments, and family medical history. According to the Urgent Care Association of America (UCAOA), in 2017, 9.0% of all UC centers in the country indicated the use of telemedicine services. This percentage escalated dramatically during the COVID19 pandemic and continues rapid adoption across the continuum of care.