Urgent Care Visits Are Growing Exponentially in a Way That Might Surprise You

Google, Facebook, and maybe even Twitter and Instagram have become common avenues for urgent care operators to reach new patients online. Visits related to another app are exploding all of a sudden, however. According to an article published online by FIERCE Healthcare, bookings from the online provider search/appointment app Zocdoc have grown by 80%, month over month while the number of UCCs has grown almost 40% month over month. That reflects visits to more than 200 urgent care locations across 22 states. All told, the volume of related patient visits is up 60% since 2019. The FIERCE piece notes that more than half of UC visits through Zocdoc take place within 5 hours of booking, with patients in their 20s accounting for 40% of urgent care bookings. Over 30% are in their 30s, while more than 25% are over 40 years of age. For more insights on reaching patients online, read Competing for Patients in a Digitally Connected World in the JUCM archive.