Journal of Urgent Care Medicine

Concentra, U.S. HealthWorks Join Forces in an Urgent Care/Occ Med Megadeal

Two major players in urgent care and occupational medicine are being joined together by their respective ownerships. Select Medical Holdings Corporation and Dignity Health have agreed on a definitive agreement to combine Concentra Group Holdings, LLC, an occupational medicine and urgent care service provider, with U.S. HealthWorks, Inc., which offers services in the same sectors. There is some geographical overlap, such as in the Milwaukee and Nashville markets, but locations are more complementary than they …

Employer-Offered Telehealth Will Continue to Grow in 2018

Availability of telemedicine offered by larger employers in the U.S. is close to reaching a saturation point, as 96% of large employers are expected to offer it in their array of health benefits in states where it’s allowed next year. In stark contrast is the fact that only 8% of workers at one out of five of those companies’ workers are taking advantage of it, according to the Large Employers’ 2018 Health Care Strategy and …

Occ Med Providers: Workers Are Failing Drug Tests More Often

More American workers are failing tests for illegal drugs these days than in many years. Quest Diagnostics reports that 4.2% of the 8.9 million employee drug tests it administered last year came back positive; that’s the highest rate since 2004. Marijuana remains the most prevalent, though other drugs are also on the rise. This is especially surprising, given the fact that so many states have looser laws on marijuana use for medical or recreational purposes. …

Part-Time Restaurant Workers Gain Urgent Care Access in California

Members of the Golden Gate Restaurant Association (GGRA) who work 8 to 20 hours a week in San Francisco eateries now have a place to go for walk-in care without paying anything out of pocket. Dignity Health-GoHealth Urgent Care reached an agreement with the GGRA to provide at least four visits per year to its centers (more for GGRA members who work more hours, according to a formula worked out under the city’s Health Care …

UCA Webinar: Market Urgent Care and Occ Med Services the Right (ie, Profitable) Way

Urgent care and occupational medicine seem to go together naturally—small wonder, then, that 91% of urgent care centers offer some form of occupational medicine services, according to a mini survey from the Urgent Care Association. It’s profitable, too; of the centers that do have occ med, over half said it accounts for up to 15% of their business. Part of that success lies in offering quality services at a reasonable price, but you still have …

Positive Drugs Tests Have Soared Among Workers in the Past Decade

It will probably come as no surprise to urgent care providers who offer occupational medicine services, but the percentage of U.S. workers who’ve tested positive for drugs has increased steadily over the past 3 years—to the point that they’re now at a 10-year peak. The Quest Diagnostics Drug Testing Index, which analyzes millions of urine samples, oral fluid samples, and hair samples annually, shows 5 consecutive years of increased positive tests for amphetamine and heroin, …

Health System Takes Urgent Care/Occ Med on the Road

“Convenient location” is a relative term; an address that works for the greatest number of people can still leave many patients outside of your urgent care center’s reach. Oregon’s Samaritan Health Services is trying to bridge that gap by taking its act on the road—Route I-5, to be exact. Pull into the truck plaza just off exit 216 and you’ll see what looks like a semi with SamCare Mobile Medical emblazoned on the outside. Inside, …

Occ Med Programs Need Business Plans, Too

In all likelihood, you wouldn’t dream of opening a new urgent care clinic without first putting together a business plan. Doesn’t it make sense that key aspects of your overall business would benefit from the same careful planning? Data from the Urgent Care Association of America indicate that over 60% of urgent care companies offer at least some occupational medicine services; nearly 5% of locations offer occ med exclusively. Putting a business plan for your …

Urgent Care Services Rendered

UCA’S SURVEY COMMITTEE drew two important conclusions from its first industry-wide survey: urgent care is a growing industry nationwide, and those within the industry are hungry for benchmarking data. In each issue of JUCM, Developing Data will seek to fulfill that need. In this issue, a look at the breadth of services offered by respondents to the survey: