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Download the article PDF: Raising The Bar Why Accreditation Matters In Urgent Care
Lisa H. Bishop
It’s a familiar story. A friend was recently on vacation and visited a small, rural “urgent care” with a 2-day history of nasal congestion and a scratchy throat—no fever, no sinus tenderness, and a reassuring exam. She left with 4 prescriptions: a Z-Pak, a Medrol Dose Pack, a narcotic cough syrup, and Diflucan, “just in case the antibiotic causes yeast.” She reached out to me, concerned that she received 4 prescriptions for a common cold. This meant 4 unnecessary costs and 4 opportunities for side effects and drug interactions, plus 2 opportunities for antimicrobial resistance, all for a self-limited viral illness.
Unfortunately, this scenario is not an anomaly. It represents the widespread inconsistency in practice standards among nonaccredited urgent care centers, facilities that may market themselves as “urgent care” but lack the operational and clinical rigor that defines the field. This inconsistency undermines public trust and fuels payer skepticism about urgent care centers as a credible and cost-effective alternative to higher-acuity settings.
Defining Urgent Care: Urgent Care Association
Urgent care has matured far beyond its “doc-in-the-box” roots. Today’s accredited urgent care centers are fully integrated healthcare access points, bridging primary care, occupational medicine, and acute urgent services. Yet the persistence of unaccredited clinics offering convenience without accountability threatens that progress.
Accreditation through the Urgent Care Association (UCA) Commission on Ambulatory and Urgent Care Quality (CAUCQ) serves as both a quality assurance mechanism and a safeguard for professional identity. Accredited centers commit to evidence-based protocols, clinical governance, diagnostic testing, and continuous improvement initiatives that differentiate them from retail clinics and walk-in primary care offices.
In parallel, the UCA’s advocacy arm represents the collective voice of accredited centers in national payer and policy discussions. Accreditation strengthens this voice by providing tangible evidence of quality, consistency, and commitment to value-based care.
Voice of the Profession: The College of Urgent Care Medicine
The College of Urgent Care Medicine (CUCM) is the professional organization of urgent care clinicians and provides the clinical backbone for this transformation. Through academic publications, continuing medical education, clinical best practice resources, and clinician fellowship programs, the College fosters professional development and competency validation for clinicians practicing in the urgent care setting. It defines what it means to be “urgent care ready,” a distinction that cannot be claimed through signage alone.
From “Doc in the Box” to Specialty Recognition
The future of urgent care and its credibility depend on specialty recognition, not only by patients but by academic institutions, payers, and regulators. The UCA and CUCM have been at the forefront of this movement, working toward formal specialty recognition and advanced certification for all urgent care clinicians (MD/DO, NP, PA).
Accredited centers are no longer providing quick fixes that have earned them the “doc in a box” label. They are complex, multidisciplinary access hubs capable of managing lacerations, fractures, dehydration, and infections efficiently, while reducing unnecessary emergency department visits and preserving healthcare resources.
Conclusion
Every antibiotic, every steroid, and every prescription written, carries responsibility. Accreditation ensures that those decisions are guided by standards, not habits. If you are an urgent care center providing excellent care, get accredited. If you are an urgent care clinician, become a member of CUCM and continue to grow your knowledge and skills.
UCA-accredited centers and CUCM members represent the best of what urgent care can be: structured, data-driven, patient-centered, and clinically excellent. They are raising the bar for the healthcare industry and defining the future of urgent care medicine.
References
- Urgent Care Association. Standards and Criteria for Urgent Care Accreditation. 2024. Accessed November 17, 2025. https://urgentcareassociation.org/quality/accreditation/
- College of Urgent Care Medicine. Fellowship Program Overview and Practice Guidelines. 2024. Accessed November 17, 2025. https://urgentcareassociation.org/college-of-urgent-care-medicine/
- Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Antibiotic Prescribing and Use in Doctor’s Offices. 2023. Accessed November 17, 2025. https://www.cdc.gov/antibiotic-use/index.html
- Urgent Care Association. Advocacy Update: Elevating the Voice of Urgent Care in Payer Relations. 2023. Accessed November 17, 2025. https://urgentcareassociation.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/05/SAG-Project-Update-May-2023.pdf
Lisa H. Bishop, DNP, MSN, MHA, FNP-BC, CDEO, FCUCM, is Vice President of Training and Clinical Development at Premier Health Consultants. She also serves as Vice President of the Board of Directors and Fellow of the College of Urgent Care Medicine and on the Board of Directors for the Southeast Regional Urgent Care Association.