As an emerging distinct practice environment, urgent care is in the early stages of building a data set specific to its norms and practices.
In Developing Data, JUCM will offer results not only from UCA’s annual benchmarking surveys, but also from research conducted elsewhere to present an expansive view of the healthcare marketplace in which urgent care seeks to strengthen its presence.
In this issue: The 2007 Professional Research Consultants National Consumer Survey asked patients (by virtue of a suggestion from UCA), “Did you consider using an urgent care center prior to going to this particular hospital emergency room?”
There was no statistical difference between how men and women answered the question (14% of each answering “yes”). Slightly more variation was seen among respondents from different parts of the country, and of different age groups and income levels:
These results offer insight into the mindset of patients at the moment of decision making. The lesson: urgent care clinics need to take steps to increase awareness among the general population.
If you’ve had success in establishing high visibility in the community, tell us how in an email to [email protected]. We’ll share your techniques with our readers.