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A survey of 1,014 U.S. healthcare consumers suggests that speed remains urgent care’s strongest competitive advantage, and it’s also the factor consumers value most, according to data from branding firm Monigle. Urgent care outperformed primary care on consumers’ perception of “help you get care quickly” (71% vs 68%), but primary care scored better on all the other measures included in the survey. The largest gaps between urgent care and primary care appeared in the ability to understand a patient’s health history (51% for urgent care vs 74% for primary care), coordinate additional care (49% vs 71%), and provide follow-up support (48% vs 74%). For urgent care operators, this suggests that market opportunity may lie in preserving urgent care’s throughput while making the overall patient encounter seem less “one-off.” Consumers believe urgent care should help them understand what to do next about their health concern, not simply address the immediate problem (83% of respondents agreed). In addition, 78% said urgent care and primary care should work together seamlessly so patients do not have to figure out the distinction in care settings themselves. Better referrals, follow-up, and information sharing could help transform isolated urgent care visits into longer-term healthcare relationships.
Health system affiliation: The survey results also reinforce urgent care’s position as the front door for health systems, with 69% of respondents saying they would prefer to use an urgent care affiliated with their health system rather than an independent urgent care. Overall, 59% said a great urgent care experience at an affiliated center could lead them to consider switching to that affiliated health system for their care. Consumer attitudes can definitely drive business for urgent care. Discover the factors most likely to garner 5-star Google reviews for urgent cares in this JUCM Developing Data deep dive: The Anatomy of a 1-Star vs 5-Star Google Review