Urgent Care a ‘Disrupter’ of Traditional Primary Care

A new study concludes that the healthcare marketplace is dictating a major renovation of primary care—and urgent care is both one of the causes and a potential beneficiary of the dramatic changes in the landscape. The report from PwC Health Industries’ Health Research Institute says rising costs and increased demand for primary care practitioners are forcing stakeholders to rethink their business models to unlock value. Simon Samaha, MD of PwC says the solution lies in “nontraditional players” who are going to “shake up the industry using new technologies and innovative approaches focused on convenience for patients and value for providers.” The results, which reflect interviews with 25 executives from industry, trade associations, and academia as well as a survey of 1,500 clinicians and 1,000 consumers on the future of primary care, point to four key findings: 1) Employers and other healthcare purchasers are banking on primary care to save money; 2) Consumers are becoming more savvy about selecting primary care options that fit their lifestyle; 3) New entrants (eg, urgent care) are “disrupting” the healthcare industry with innovative primary care models that offer convenience and value, among other attributes; 4) Wise primary care traditionalists are adapting in order to stay relevant.