These data from the 2010 Urgent Care Benchmarking Survey are based on responses of 1,691 US urgent care centers; 32% were UCA members. The survey was limited to “full-fledged urgent care center” accepting walk-ins during all hours of operation; having a licensed provider and x-ray and lab equipment onsite; the ability to administer IV fluids and perform minor procedures; and having minimal business hours of seven days per week, four hours per day.
In this issue: How many hours are physicians at your center working?
The 2008 Survey looked generally at the number of professionals on staff, as well as patient volume per provider (68.3 patients per physician per week, 41.86 per all clinicians per week [includes physicians, nurse practitioners, physician assistants and registered nurses]), qualifications of physicians, and physician benefits. The 2010 Survey delved into these aspects much more in depth and in some new areas.
The majority of centers staff with a mix of physicians and/or nurse practitioners and/or physician assistants, with only about 36% of centers having a physician-only model. Results in the full survey further examined hours per month and hours per shift per day by each provider type, which vary (not surprisingly) with the typical patient flow. Among centers which staff physicians, the number of physician hours per month was highest in January and lowest in December. Physician hours per shift per day were highest in Sundays between the hours of noon and 4 p.m.
Acknowledgement: The 2010 Urgent Care Benchmarking Study was funded by the Urgent Care Association and administered by Professional Research Associates, based in Omaha, NE. The full 40-page report can be purchased at www.ucaoa.org/benchmarking.