Journal of Urgent Care Medicine

ZoomCare Expands to Meet Medicare Market Opportunity

After a pilot project at 2 of its locations, ZoomCare—which offers urgent care, primary care, emergency, and specialty care—has started accepting Medicare and Medicare Advantage patients across its entire network of 45 centers in Oregon and Washington, according to a press release. ZoomCare initially started with 1 urgent care location in 2006 targeting Millennials, and by 2018, the original founders had sold the organization to the local Catholic health system PeaceHealth. A large part of …

Maryland Commission Aims to Reduce ED Wait Times

After concerns about claiming the top spot for the country’s longest emergency department (ED) wait times, Maryland established the Maryland Emergency Department Wait Time Reduction Commission in July 2024 to craft long-term solutions that could be rolled out sooner rather than later. Among the commission’s early recommendations released this week is a plan to reduce hospital capacities by improving efficiency in addressing the needs of older populations with chronic health conditions and those with behavioral …

Optum Execs Less Focused on Urgent Care Centers

Optum Health is continuing to ease back on its MedExpress urgent care line of business. There are only 19 centers that remain open, according to the Minnesota Star Tribune, which is an 87% decrease from the 150 locations operating in 2022. Parent company UnitedHealth Group’s executives in a recent call with investors said that some parts of the Optum business aren’t as important for the future as they once were. There is less emphasis now …

American Family Care Names New CEO

This month, Jeremy Morgan was named chief executive oﬃcer of American Family Care (AFC), succeeding Randy Johansen, who has retired. Morgan is the former CEO of a national franchisor organization with 5 brands that grew to nearly 900 locations and $700 million in revenue during his tenure. Additionally, David Prokupek was named to the AFC board of directors as executive chairman. His experience includes previous CEO positions with Ideal Image, Jackson Hewitt, and Smashburger. Outgoing …

Teladoc The Latest Virtual Provider to Partner With Amazon

Amazon customers will now be prompted to sign up for Teladoc’s chronic care offerings thanks to a new partnership announced this week between the 2 organizations. Teladoc already has 1 million program participants, and the connection to Amazon will only boost its visibility and market presence. Anyone managing diabetes, hypertension, prediabetes and weight loss can now enroll in virtual care directly through Amazon’s Health Benefits Connector. Just like its agreement with Hinge Health, Talkspace, and …

Mercy Acquires 10 Urgent Cares in Ohio and Michigan

Mercy Health in northern Ohio has announced plans to expand its network of urgent care centers in the region, according to the Toledo Blade. As part of this expansion, the health system has acquired 10 urgent care centers from privately owned Greater Midwest Urgent Cares. Eight centers are located in Ohio and 2 in southeast Michigan. Officials stated that Mercy aims to invest in new tech infrastructure and medical equipment, and exterior signage will also …

New Mobile Urgent Care Launches in Louisiana

A new at-home urgent care (UC) provider, Urgent Care On The Go, launched in late December 2024 in half a dozen cities in southern Louisiana, offering mobile urgent care as well as a brick-and-mortar wellness center in Opelousas, Louisiana. For a single fee of $199 per visit, members can access treatment for acute illnesses and injuries as well as lab tests and other services. Some services, such as IV infusions for medically diagnosed conditions, are …

Ardent Health Buys 18 NextCare Locations

Ardent Health, which operates 30 acute care hospitals in 6 states, last week acquired 18 urgent care clinics from NextCare Urgent Care. NextCare is in the Enhanced Healthcare Partners investment portfolio and up until now included approximately 170 clinic locations, according to a 2024 JUCM analysis. The transaction includes 6 urgent care clinics in New Mexico, which will operate as part of Lovelace Health System, as well as 12 clinics in Oklahoma that will become …

Racial Bias May Influence Identification of Potential Child Abuse

Most healthcare workers use vigilance when treating children with injuries that could signal a potential case of child abuse, but bias can influence perception. According to a study published in JAMA Network Open, Black children hospitalized for traumatic injuries are more likely to be suspected of having experienced possible child abuse than White children. When examining data for 634,309 pediatric patients, researchers demonstrated 75% greater odds of suspicion for child abuse for Black patients and …

Lawsuit Against One Medical Claims Poor Care Led to Patient’s Death

One Medical, under the Amazon umbrella since February 2023, is now facing a lawsuit related to the death of a patient who was treated virtually by a One Medical provider. The 45-year-old patient complained of shortness of breath, coughing up blood, and feet turning blue, according to reporting in the Washington Post. He was prescribed an inhaler during the virtual appointment and later died waiting to be seen at a local hospital emergency department in …