Journal of Urgent Care Medicine

Urgent Care Must Adapt and Demonstrate Value

A recent article in Physicians Practice by Benjamin Barlow, MD, Chief Medical Officer of Experity, summarizes the shifting market position for urgent care (UC). Barlow notes how during the pandemic era, UC clinics stepped up with flexibility and efficiency to deliver SARS-CoV-1 tests at scale. However, after a time, relying on that approach became short-sighted, leading to many clinics shifting away from fundamental urgent care capabilities. Now they must restore balance that is long overdue …

Children’s LA Opens Virtual Urgent Care

Children’s Hospital Los Angeles (CHLA) has launched a new virtual urgent care service specifically for children and young adults up to 21 years old who need after-hours medical attention for non-emergency conditions, according to MobiHealth News. The platform connects patients with CHLA healthcare providers for presentations such as fever, respiratory infections, vomiting, minor eye issues, allergies, bruises, cuts and scrapes. The telehealth providers can offer discharge instructions, send prescriptions to pharmacies, and recommend a referral …

Payer Stats Reveal Urgent Care Utilization Up 207%

The share of the procedures provided in urgent care (UC) centers submitted on commercial insurance claims grew 207% from 2013 to 2022, according to an in-depth index report from nonprofit claims-data analysis organization FAIR Health. Teasing out single-year growth, utilization of urgent care centers increased 43% from 2021 to 2022. Growth of these “claim lines”—essentially individual procedures listed on insurance claims—echoes the robust growth in the number of urgent care clinics serving the nation overall, …

Who’s on First?

Here at the Urgent Care Association (UCA), we often used to ask ourselves, “Is this a UCA thing or a College thing or a Foundation thing?” Over the past few years of talking to all of you, I learned that we were not the only ones asking this question. When you build a house, over the years, you may add on a fantastic new sunroom, then an expansive extra bedroom, and then maybe you remodel …

Primary Care Operator Buys 11 VillageMD Sites

Walgreens recently completed the sale of 11 VillageMD clinics in Rhode Island to Arches Medical Partners (AMP), based in Boston. The sale is part of Walgreens’ broader initiative to boost profitability by divesting VillageMD primary care locations, following a period of weak fourth-quarter earnings in 2023. This week, the company announced 160 VillageMD clinics have been slated for closure—100 more than previously announced. The company recently exited the Florida market entirely and this week announced …

Should the ACEs Screening Tool Consider Gun Violence?

A common screening tool used to evaluate health and adversity is in need of a modern makeover, according to a perspective in STAT News written by a graduate student at George Washington University. The screening questionnaire—the adverse childhood experience (ACE) tool that quantifies early experiences related to abuse, violence, and neglect—can indicate risk for long-term health effects throughout life. The higher an individual’s ACE score, the greater the risk of negative health outcomes. According to …

Health Systems Face Low Reimbursement, Higher Operating Costs

A recent survey of health system financial leaders by the Healthcare Financial Management Association examined the pain points executives are facing in a tough market that is characterized by higher operating costs and lower payer reimbursement. At the top of the list, 96% of the 135 system leaders polled say higher labor costs are putting downward pressure on margins, 84% say the same about lower payer reimbursement, and 47% say as much about higher supply …

Concentra Slated To Go Public in 2024

According to a press release from March 18, 2024, Concentra Group Holdings Parent Inc. has plans for the Concentra line of business to go public and has filed a confidential draft registration statement with the Securities and Exchange Commission. With centers in 41 states, Concentra is one of the largest urgent care and occupational medicine operators in the country. Previously, Select Medical Holdings announced its intent to pursue separation from Concentra, carving out 2 separate …

CDC Releases Guide For Reducing Burnout

This week, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s (CDC) National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) released a guide meant to assist hospitals and provider organizations in reducing healthcare worker burnout. It offers step-by-step organizational-level actions that take into account the time, cost, and staff requirements necessary to implement new programs. CDC/NIOSH is hosting a webinar series next month to offer more insight on the application of the guide’s suggestions. The pilot-tested actions …

UCA Begins Search For Next CEO

With thew news of the expected retirement of Chief Executive Officer Lou Ellen Horwitz, the Urgent Care Association (UCA) has announced the search for its next executive leader. In 2020, Horwitz transitioned away from the UCA board of directors and out of semi-retirement to return to the UCA’s top leadership role. She previously served as the association’s executive director from 2006 to 2012. Throw your hat in the ring: No doubt the succession plans will …

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