Practice Management
Industry executives predict that as more patients come to understand the level and breadth of service available at urgent care centers, along with the cost and efficiency benefits, they’ll flock to centers in even greater numbers than they have in recent years. For example, the Urgent Care Association estimates that the average cost of a trip to an urgent care facility is $155, comparing favorably with the cost of an average trip to the emergency …
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Despite ongoing growth in the number of urgent care centers, many institutions still fail to see the profitable big picture of aligning with urgent care, or of opening locations of their own. A study by the University of Minnesota and Urgent Care Partners (UCP) reveals that healthcare providers are not actively coordinating the growing urgent care primary care channel, or effectively managing downstream referrals. The UCP Urgent Care Survey found that 66% of urgent care …
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When an urgent care physician suggests that a patient see another clinician for follow-up care, patients usually take that advice, according to a study by the Uniersity of Minnesota and Urgent Care Partners. In fact, 66% not only took the doctor’s advice to seek further care, but went to the specific provider recommended (though a specific provider was recommended just 21% of the time). Overall, 76% of patients who were told to seek follow-up care …
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Helping patients manage chronic conditions typically falls to primary care providers or specialists. At the same time, those people are just as likely as other patients to walk into your urgent care center—if not more so. CityMD and Mount Sinai Health System in New York City have teamed up to formalize a referral system that is designed to benefit all parties concerned. Mount Sinai will encourage patients to visit CityMD clinics when they have a …
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Patient reviews on websites like Yelp can encourage another patient to try a new urgent care center. A high volume of such reviews can improve its ranking in both Google Local and Apple Maps. One New York-based urgent care chain crossed the line—and the law—by paying thousands of dollars for positive reviews over a 2-year-period, though. The reviews in question were not even written by patients; the company engaged ad agencies and freelance writers who …
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Markets where there are higher concentrations of urgent care centers have lower emergency room visit rates, according to a new survey from the Deloitte Center for Health Solutions. Not unexpectedly, the inverse relationship was also shown; areas where urgent care centers are less concentrated tend to have higher ED visit rates, as well as larger uninsured and Medicaid populations. Industry watchers are eager to see how the numbers trend, as urgent care continues to emerge …
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The newly released Fiscal Year 2017 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) ensures that service members and their families will be able to visit urgent cares when necessary without prior authorization—access that would not have been covered under the NDAA, historically. The 2017 rules state that military medical treatment facilities must provide urgent care services for members of armed forces and covered beneficiaries until 11 PM daily; in areas where there are no such facilities, however, …
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Patients looking for immediate care often turn to Google to find it—and over the past 4 years, they’ve typed in “urgent care” before hitting Enter more than ever. Google Trends, which tracks search data, reports that Arizona leads the nation in searches for “urgent care,” with North Dakota having the fewest searches. At the same time, Google Trends reports that searches for the word “hospital” have been in decline for several years. Rising healthcare costs, …
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Patients being treated for cancer have medical needs that extend far beyond their most critical diagnosis—more than a few of which are a result of their treatment. Johns Hopkins Hospital is offering them a place to go besides the emergency room when they’re suffering with pain, fever, nausea, or anything else for which they need immediate care, by creating an urgent care center specifically for them. Besides the long waits and generalized care they can …
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Though much maligned in the press and the subject of legislation in a number of states, “surprise” bills are still an issue for patients after a trip to their local emergency room. In fact, a new study by Yale researchers published in the New England Journal of Medicine reveals that nearly a quarter of in-network ED visits can be followed by a bill from an out-of-network doctor. The authors considered claims for more than 2 …
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