Journal of Urgent Care Medicine

The Structural Divide in Urgent Care Occupational Medicine

Data reveals that occupational medicine in urgent care is fundamentally top-heavy. As the table illustrates, the top 20% of clinics drive 29% of their total occupational medicine visit volume through employer-paid services (EPS) and workers’ compensation (WC) -paid services, averaging 12 daily visits. Conversely, the bottom 20% average less than 1 visit per day from these 2 payer types. Private-insurer or patient-paid services account for the balance of the visits overall. This stark disparity is …

Our Voice Is Getting Stronger – Let’s Use It

As we move into June, I’ve been reflecting on the momentum we’ve built and what we do with it next. Our Convention in Chicago brought our field together in a powerful way. The conversations were thoughtful, practical, and forward-looking. We saw alignment forming around some of the most important issues we face: advocacy, workforce, reimbursement, and the continued evolution of our care model. Since then, that momentum has continued. Our work in Washington is advancing. …

Who Can Take X-Rays in an Urgent Care Center: A 50-State Framework

Urgent Message: This 50-state framework details who can legally operate x-ray equipment, as these laws dictate whether the industry’s predominant advanced practice provider-staffing model remains operationally and financially viable. Alan A. Ayers, MBA, MAcc Keywords: urgent care; radiography; radiologic technologists; licensure; nurse practitioners; physician assistants According to the Urgent Care Association (UCA), on-site plain-film radiography is a defining feature of urgent care and is among the criteria for UCA Certification.¹ Yet across the 50 states …

The 2026 Urgent Care Top 100 By Number of Locations

Alan Ayers, MBA, MAcc Keywords: urgent care; ambulatory care facilities; joint venture; organizational affiliation The nation’s total urgent care center count reached 14,655 as of April 1, 2026, based on data provided by National Urgent Care Realty and Urgent Care Consultants. Of these, 6,056 locations (41.3%) are operated by a Top 100 entity. Hospital affiliations within the Top 100 remain the dominant model, with 55.9% of Top 100 locations participating in a health system relationship. …

How Off-Duty Statements Create On-Duty Liability

Urgent Message: There is effectively no right to “free speech” in a private employer-employee relationship. That means private healthcare employers have the authority to terminate staff whose off-duty statements violate professional ethics or harm the organization’s reputation. Alan A. Ayers, MBA, MAcc Keywords: free speech; social media; healthcare liability; malpractice risk; first amendment; employment law; ethical standards; risk management In today’s polarized political climate, the line between private citizen and public professional hasn’t vanished, but …

The Risks of Fully AI-Driven Revenue Cycle Management

Kimberly Hardin, Josh Rainey As healthcare organizations look to modernize operations, the idea of a fully artificial intelligence (AI)-driven revenue cycle management (RCM) system is increasingly appealing in urgent care. Automating everything from coding and charge capture to claims submission and denial management promises efficiency, speed, and reduced labor costs. However, moving to a truly autonomous AI model introduces a range of risks that organizations must carefully evaluate before making the leap. Financial Exposure and …

Which Generation Uses Urgent Care The Most?

Understanding generational demographics is critical for any organization because age drives consumer behavior.¹ While the U.S. population is distributed relatively evenly across adult cohorts,² urgent care utilization—based on an analysis of 2025 Experity EMR visit data conducted by Urgent Care Consultants—skews heavily toward younger adults.³ Gen Z and Millennials combined (born 1981–2012) account for more than 51% of all urgent care visits despite representing only 43% of the U.S. population—a combined over-index of nearly 20 …

From Momentum to Action

May is a time to reflect, reset, and carry forward the momentum we’ve built over the first part of the year. Coming out of our 2026 Urgent Care Convention in Chicago, that momentum feels real and shared by all Urgent Care stakeholders. Over the past several months, we’ve talked about advocacy, about proving our value, and about the importance of showing up for one another as an industry. The Convention brought all of that into …

At Odds: Do Clinical Practice Metrics Incentivize Bad Medicine?

Justin R. Murphy, MMSc, PA-C We live in a world that revolves around data. If you have been in the medical field for a decade or longer, you have observed the trend toward increasingly data-driven medical practice. If you have been practicing more recently, you have lived it. Metrics continually shape our practice patterns and influence our care, and their utilization will only increase. Currently, analytics and artificial intelligence tools cannot directly process human cognition …

Twenty Years of Progress and a Future We Will Lead

This April issue of JUCM marks a meaningful milestone: 20 years of publication serving the Urgent Care community. It’s fitting that this edition will be in-hand at the 2026 Urgent Care Convention in Chicago, surrounded by many of the individuals who have helped shape this industry over the past 2 decades. Anniversaries provide an opportunity for reflection. They inspire us to look back with perspective and to look forward with intention. My own journey in …

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