UCA Assesses How the Pandemic is Affecting Urgent Care Operations

We’ve heard anecdotally that some urgent care operations are experiencing serious shortfalls in patient volume, while others are “all hands on deck” in dealing with patients who have, or are concerned they have, COVID-19. To get a better handle on how the industry as a whole is faring, the Urgent Care Association started surveying members on a weekly basis. In the initial iteration, 82% of respondents reported that all their centers were open while 18% said that some centers remained open; 85% of those that reported closing some centers said the volume of patients they were seeing didn’t warrant staying open, while 42% said lack of personal protective equipment moved them to close their doors, 27% said they were experiencing provider shortages, and 23% said they were experiencing nonprovider staff shortages. Overall, respondents reported that patient volume is down 53% since the pandemic started.