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Since the announcement in early 2024 anticipating the retirement of CEO Lou Ellen Horwitz, the Urgent Care Association (UCA) and its board of directors have engaged in a national candidate search and succession planning to lead the association going forward. This week, UCA named Steve Sellars as its new CEO. Well known by industry stakeholders, Sellars brings more than 20 years of leadership experience in urgent care to the table. He previously served as CEO of Premier Health, where he led the long-term development of the emerging urgent care market in Louisiana. His earlier career included roles within a large multihospital health system and 2 managed care organizations. Sellars has also been actively involved with UCA since its inception. He has served on the board of directors and held the role of president for both UCA and the Urgent Care Foundation. In addition, he has participated in various UCA committees over his 2 decades of membership. According to the board, Sellars’ background in urgent care operations, payer relations, government affairs, and organizational growth, combined with his longstanding involvement with UCA, make him well-suited to lead the organization during a pivotal time for the industry.
“I’m honored to step into the role of CEO at the Urgent Care Association, an organization I’ve been proud to be involved with for many years,” Sellars tells JUCM. “I want to sincerely thank the UCA search committee for their confidence in me and for the thoughtful process that led to this opportunity. I also want to acknowledge Lou Ellen Horwitz, whose leadership has left a lasting impact on UCA and who has been instrumental in shaping my own path. I know I have big shoes to fill, and I’m committed to building on the strong foundation that’s been laid.”
Shared leadership: The intensive executive search process spanned more than a year and included representation from UCA’s affiliated organizations—the Urgent Care Foundation, Urgent Care College of Physicians, College of Urgent Care Medicine, and the Commission on Ambulatory and Urgent Care Quality—reflecting the shared leadership responsibilities of the CEO role. Horwitz continued to lead UCA throughout the search period. During her more than 5 year tenure, she prioritized advocacy goals in Washington, D.C., and grew the association into 5 distinct entities with unique roles that advance the practice, professionalism, and status of urgent care within the broader healthcare ecosystem. In fact, UCA has been successful most recently in calling for a feedback process in the proposed 2025 Medicare Physician Fee Schedule that would include adjustments in coding related to urgent care.
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