The urgent care industry continues to add de novo centers, according to data from Experity and National Urgent Care Realty. Although de novo growth slowed in 2023 by 5%, 2023 de novos are still 16% higher than 2019, the last pre-pandemic year. In addition to continued overall growth of the industry, the data indicates structural changes in who is opening de novos. A “de novo” urgent care refers to a center that did not previously …
Read MoreAs COVID Turns Endemic, Investors Remain Bullish on Urgent Care Growth
Urgent message: De novo growth of urgent care continued through the pandemic. As COVID turns endemic, investors remain bullish on urgent care growth. Alan A. Ayers, MBA, MAcc Despite concerns about fluctuating visit volumes and long-term sustainability, uncertainty and urgent care have always gone hand in hand. Case in point: Largely driven by flu, the urgent care industry has firsthand insight into years of flu research, seasonal trends, and vaccine efficacy. Yet amid everything we …
Read MoreAnother Market Projection Shows Urgent Care Surge Continuing—to Nearly $26 Billion
The U.S. urgent care market will continue to grow through at least 2023—to an overall value of $25.93 billion, according to a report just released by MarketsandMarkets. The research, packaged under the title Urgent Care Center Market by Service (Acute Illness Treatment, Trauma/Injury Treatment, Physical Examination, Immunization & Vaccination), Ownership (Corporate Owned, Physician Owned, Hospital Owned), and Region – Global Forecast to 2023, attributes the ongoing surge to the public’s demand for affordable care and shorter …
Read MoreMerchant Medicine: Privately Owned Urgent Care Operators Are Outpacing Hospitals
Hospital-owned urgent care centers continue to be a growing segment of the marketplace—but their growth is still not on pace with privately owned companies, especially larger entities like MedExpress, CityMD, and others, according to a new report from Merchant Medicine. In Calm Before the Storm?, CEO Tom Charland points out that industry growth last year was led by “top independent operators” who grew 11% in 2017. Hospitals are opening more centers, too, just not as …
Read MoreForbes Picks Up on Urgent Care’s Ongoing Growth
The country’s most recognized business publication has picked up on what we’ve been sharing with you all along: The urgent care market has done nothing but grow in recent years, to the point that it’s overall value is now estimated to be $18 billion. Forbes just ran an article also noting that the most recent industry projections see further growth of 5.8% in this year alone. Forbes observed that our industry is not only growing …
Read MoreMore New Data Paint Rosy Picture of Urgent Care’s Future
Just a week ago, we shared data from TMR Research indicating that the urgent care industry would continue its upward trajectory for years to come. Now another report, this one from Market Research Reports Search Engine (MRRSE), offers even more data corroborating those findings. Urgent Care Centers Market—Global Industry Analysis, Size, Share, Growth, Trends and Forecast, 2014–2020 analyzes the potential for growth in specific aspects of the urgent care industry, such as illness, injury, physical, …
Read MoreOpportunity for Urgent Care Growth May Be Greatest in Rural Areas
There is a rare opportunity for a “transformative urgent care brand” to lock up market share in rural areas across the U.S., according to McGuireWoods, a public affairs consultancy. In fact, that was one of the nine key takeaways from their 12th annual Healthcare Provider Conference in Charlotte this month. Observing that urgent care operators have largely focused on growth in urban areas, McGuireWoods predicted that the next big opportunity will be in underserved rural …
Read MoreHCA Targets Central Florida for Urgent Care Growth
HCA Healthcare is investing more resources in its urgent care business in central Florida, with plans to open four new centers, as well as three new freestanding emergency rooms, by the end of 2018. The company says it’s a sound move based on data indicating residents of Orange County and Seminole County don’t have sufficient access to primary care, including walk-in care. CareNow, HCA’s urgent care brand, already operates one location in Winter Springs in …
Read MoreNew CDC Data Cover the Urgent Care ‘Explosion’ Years
The 40th annual report on the state of the health of Americans from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention provides insights on the impact of changes in the healthcare landscape, including the years that saw urgent care grow from the “doc in a box” (in the public’s perception, anyway) to the sophisticated, integral part of the healthcare system that it is recognized as today. The CDC’s Health, United States, 2016 reports on long-term trends …
Read MoreCould Telehealth Be the Key to Urgent Care Realizing ‘Triple Aim?’
Urgent care has continued to grow based on its attributes of improving patients’ care experience at a lower cost than the emergency room, and by contributing to healthier populations—a triad of goals referred to as “triple aim.” Maintaining that growth may depend on outpacing other settings’ ability to change with the times. Twenty years since its inception—coinciding with urgent care’s own growth trajectory—telehealth may prove to be an invaluable tool in accomplishing that. One operator …
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