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A new urgent care has opened in Mercer County, Pennsylvania , but it’s not quite the rooftop most patients might expect. Thru Care is a drive-through center where patients check in at a drive-up window then complete their visit with a video monitor that connects them to the on-site clinician. The center accepts insurance or offers a flat $75 per visit fee, including medication fills for any prescription drugs that are in-stock at the center. A physician, a registered nurse, and an x-ray technician with emergency medicine experience teamed up to launch Thru Care with a limited list of services.
Blast from the past: “Drive-through urgent care was a trend during the pandemic—spurred by the COVID testing lines—but it proved short-lived,” says Alan A. Ayers, MBA, MAcc, President of Urgent Care Consultants and Senior Editor of JUCM. “Also, there were some payer claw-backs, including using photo evidence of drive-through COVID lines, claiming that thorough history and physical exams were not being conducted. Thus, the level of service was overcoded in the eyes of the payer. At the end of day, I don’t think drive-through urgent care perfectly aligns with consumer behavior. But kudos to all entrepreneurs trying to expand access and convenience.”
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