Industry

There’s no denying that Americans are not as free as we once were to travel around the country since the COVID-19 pandemic started. Many states have implemented rules stating that visitors from certain other states have to quarantine for a couple of weeks—or produce proof that they aren’t infected—before they’re permitted to interact with residents. While it’s debatable how enforceable those rules are, it’s certain they put a damper on plans for anything beyond essential …

The urgent care industry got the short end of the stick in the early days of testing for COVID-19—which means urgent care patients were also left wanting for testing locations in too many areas. With the pandemic still raging and flu season approaching, the Urgent Care Association is working with the Convenient Care Association to ensure history doesn’t repeat itself when it comes to vaccination. The two organizations are trying to raise the volume on …

First, the good news: According to the latest UCA/CUCM COVID-19 survey of how urgent care centers are faring during the pandemic, 61% of respondents are “actively hiring,” while another 7% are “actively planning for needs, but not yet hiring.” Sixteen percent say they’re “awaiting actual volume surges to make a decision” while another 16% “do not anticipate a need to change our staffing model.” Those that are waiting to see more patients return may not …

Urgent care may have been relegated to the sidelines at the outset of the COVID-19 pandemic, but it has entered the game and is contributing in a big way if new data from Experity are any indication. The health information technology company revealed record high visits in July, including 105,000 patients on July 6 alone—the highest single-day volume of the year. The company’s interpretation of the data is that urgent care centers are playing a …

The urgent care community continues to find innovative ways to ensure it’s not left out of the discussion—and on the sidelines when lives are at stake—during the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. The latest development is an Urgent Care Association initiative, in partnership with Braid Health, to offer covid-test-finder.com, an online database highlighting urgent care clinics that offer COVID-19 diagnostic or antibody testing in local communities. In the press release announcing availability of the database, UCA CEO …

Recognizing its own potential to lead urgent care’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic on a national scale, the Urgent Care Association is working with the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services’ Assistant Secretary for Preparedness and Response (ASPR) on its Technical Resources, Assistance Center, and Information Exchange (TRACIE) program. UCA leaders met with ASPR TRACIE just a few weeks ago, in advance of a report for the emergency preparedness community about urgent care’s experiences, …

As new cases of COVID-19 around the country creep up (or skyrocket, depending on where you’re located) it’s evident that there will be a surge in testing for the virus. Inexplicably, urgent care was largely overlooked as a viable partner in widespread testing when the pandemic first took off in the U.S.—but the Urgent Care Association is striving to ensure that doesn’t happen again. UCA has been collecting data on urgent care operators’ testing capabilities, …

The Urgent Care Association’s weekly snapshot of how urgent care operators are faring during the COVID-19 pandemic shows that telemedicine is continuing to contribute to both patient care and related revenues. This week’s data show that 87% of responding urgent care centers are offering telemedicine through their locations; the remaining 13% have no plans to add it right now, however. The good news for those who have taken the leap is that most are being …

The Urgent Care Association announced that CEO Laurel Stoimenoff will be retiring at the end of 2020. In order to ensure a smooth transition as the industry fights to rebound from the COVID-19 pandemic (while simultaneously preparing for a possible second wave), she will transition to a new role as executive director of quality & innovation until the end of the year. Stepping into the role of CEO will be Lou Ellen Horwitz, who will …

If testing activities in China are any indication—and can be believed—then widespread screening will be essential to really opening up businesses and culture in the U.S. Officials in Wuhan, where the pandemic really started to take off, say they’ve tested nearly 7 million people, turning up just 206 who were found to have asymptomatic COVID-19; clearly, that’s below the threshold of cases that would prohibit easing social distancing restrictions. This could be a prime opportunity …