The makeup of the urgent care industry has changed considerably since its inception in the 1970s. At the time, it was a radical idea to see patients with nonemergent complaints on a walk-in basis. Certainly hospitals wanted no part of it; that’s what they had emergency rooms for. Rather, the UC industry’s founders tended to be in private or small group practices, but unsatisfied with how they were practicing.
Over the decades that followed, it became clear that offering patients the chance to see a top-notch healthcare provider whenever the need arose was not just convenient for them—it could also be quite profitable for the operator. Now health and hospital systems took note, and then some.
Today’s ownership structures reflect that delayed acceptance. There are still some urgent care businesses owned by entrepreneurial healthcare providers, but many are now part of systems operated by or affiliated with hospital and healthcare systems.
Last month, we shared with you a list of the largest “private” urgent care operators in the country, by number of locations. In this issue, we bring you an accounting of the largest urgent care operators affiliated with hospitals and health systems, according to April 2023 data from National UC Realty.
| Entity Name | Number of Clinics | Health System Affiliation | Unaffiliated | Urgent Care Branding or Hospital Affiliations |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hospital Corporation of America | 270 | 270 | 0 | CareNow, MD Now |
| GoHealth Urgent Care | 228 | 228 | 0 | Mercy, Dignity, Hartford HealthCare, ChristianaCare, Northwell, Henry Ford, Legacy, Novant, INOVA and Memorial Hermann |
| Advocate Aurora Health | 119 | 119 | 0 | |
| WellStreet Urgent Care | 96 | 96 | 0 | Corewell Health, Piedmont Healthcare, University Hospitals of Cleveland |
| Providence Health & Services | 83 | 83 | 0 | |
| Premier Health | 77 | 69 | 8 | Franciscan Missionaries of Our Lady, Trinity Health, LCMC, St. Joseph’s/Candler, University of Kansas, Hendrick Health, UT Health East Texas |
| Sanford Health | 63 | 63 | 0 | |
| Ascension Health | 63 | 63 | 0 | Excludes WellNow and Urgent Team locations |
| FastMed | 169 | 61 | 108 | HonorHealth, Tenet Healthcare, Baptist Health (Jacksonville) |
| ZoomCare | 58 | 58 | 0 | PeaceHealth |
| AdventHealth | 58 | 58 | 0 | Centra Care |
| CRH Healthcare | 83 | 57 | 26 | Emory Healthcare Network, Memorial Health |
| Sutter Health | 54 | 54 | 0 | |
| Banner Health | 52 | 52 | 0 | |
| WellNow Urgent Care | 217 | 48 | 169 | Ascension, OSF, KSB, St. Peter’s, Health Network |
| Bon Secours Mercy Health | 47 | 47 | 0 | Includes 17 American Family Care franchise locations operated by Bon Secours Mercy Health |
| Cleveland Clinic | 46 | 46 | 0 | |
| Intermountain Healthcare | 46 | 46 | 0 | |
| Urgent Team | 87 | 44 | 43 | Ascension, Baptist Health, Huntsville Hospital, Washington Regional |
| MultiCare Health System | 43 | 43 | 0 | Indigo Urgent Care |
| UPMC | 43 | 43 | 0 | |
| UnityPoint Health | 42 | 42 | 0 | |
| OSF HealthCare | 41 | 41 | 0 | Excludes WellNow locations |
| UNC Health Care | 41 | 41 | 0 | |
| NorthShore Edward-Elmhurst Health | 38 | 38 | 0 | |
| Community Health Systems | 37 | 37 | 0 | |
| Ochsner Rush Health | 37 | 37 | 0 | |
| Doctors Care | 53 | 33 | 20 | Medical University of South Carolina |
| MedStar Health | 33 | 33 | 0 | |
| SSM Health | 33 | 33 | 0 | |
| Geisinger Health | 30 | 30 | 0 | |
| Tower Health | 30 | 30 | 0 | |
| Adventist Health | 29 | 29 | 0 | Centra Care Urgent Care |
| Lifebridge Health System | 28 | 28 | 0 | ExpressCare Urgent Care |
| Baylor Scott & White | 27 | 27 | 0 | |
| Corewell Health | 27 | 27 | 0 | Primarily Spectrum Health Urgent Care. Excludes 28 Beaumont Urgent Care by WellStreet locations |
| Baptist Health South Florida | 25 | 25 | 0 | |
| Northwestern Medicine | 25 | 25 | 0 | |
| Texas Health Resources | 25 | 25 | 0 | Breeze Urgent Care |
| PhysicianOne Urgent Care | 25 | 24 | 1 | YaleNewHavenHealth, Tufts Medicine |
| UCHealth | 24 | 24 | 0 | |
| St. Luke’s University Health Network | 24 | 24 | 0 | St. Luke’s Care Now |
| Essentia Health | 23 | 23 | 0 | |
| Mass General Brigham | 23 | 23 | 0 | |
| Allina Health | 22 | 22 | 0 | |
| Baptist Health Kentucky | 22 | 22 | 0 | |
| HealthPartners Park Nicollet | 21 | 21 | 0 | |
| University of California Health System | 21 | 21 | 0 | |
| Avera Health | 20 | 20 | 0 | |
| CHI Health | 20 | 20 | 0 | |
| Lehigh Valley Health Network | 20 | 20 | 0 | |
| Norton Healthcare | 20 | 20 | 0 | |
| BayCare | 19 | 19 | 0 | |
| Vanderbilt Health | 19 | 19 | 0 | |
| WellSpan Health | 19 | 19 | 0 | |
| Prevea Health | 18 | 18 | 0 | |
| University of Rochester Medicine | 18 | 18 | 0 | |
| WellStar Health System | 18 | 18 | 0 | |
| WVU Health | 18 | 18 | 0 | |
| Velocity Urgent Care | 17 | 17 | 0 | Sentara Healthcare |
| Centura Health | 17 | 17 | 0 | |
| Dignity Health | 17 | 17 | 0 | Excluding co-branded GoHealth centers |
| Memorial Health System (MS) | 17 | 17 | 0 | |
| Mayo Clinic Health System | 17 | 17 | 0 | |
| Universal Health Services | 17 | 17 | 0 | |
| University Hospitals (Cleveland, OH) | 16 | 16 | 0 | Excluding WellStreet managed locations |
| St. Lukes Hospital (St. Louis, MO) | 16 | 16 | 0 | |
| LifePoint Health | 19 | 16 | 3 | Local hospital branding |
| Atlantic Health System | 16 | 16 | 0 | |
| Franciscan Health | 16 | 16 | 0 | |
| OhioHealth | 16 | 16 | 0 | |
| Tampa General Hospital | 16 | 16 | 0 | TGH Urgent Care Powered by Fast Track |
| CHRISTUS Health | 15 | 15 | 0 | |
| Cottage Health | 15 | 15 | 0 | |
| Fairview Health Services | 15 | 15 | 0 | M Health Fairview Urgent Care |
| Hackensack Meridian Health | 15 | 15 | 0 | |
| Hoag Medical Group | 15 | 15 | 0 | |
| St. Dominic’s | 15 | 15 | 0 | MEA Same Day Care |
| Aspirus Health Care | 14 | 14 | 0 | |
| Baptist Memorial Health | 14 | 14 | 0 | |
| CoxHealth | 14 | 14 | 0 | |
| Hospital Sisters Health System | 14 | 14 | 0 | |
| MidCoast Health System | 14 | 14 | 0 | MidCoast WellCare |
| Parkview Health | 14 | 14 | 0 | |
| PeaceHealth | 14 | 14 | 0 | Excluding ZoomCare centers |
| Scripps Health | 14 | 14 | 0 | |
| Virginia Mason Franciscan | 14 | 14 | 0 | |
| WakeMed | 14 | 14 | 0 | |
| Emergence Health Holdings | 38 | 13 | 25 | St. Joseph’s, Exeter Hospital, Lahey Health, UMASS Memorial Health |
| Ballad Health | 13 | 13 | 0 | |
| Erlanger Health System | 13 | 13 | 0 | |
| Mercy Health Systems | 13 | 13 | 0 | Excluding co-branded GoHealth centers |
| Novant Health | 13 | 13 | 0 | Excluding co-branded GoHealth centers |
| AtlantiCare Urgent Care | 12 | 12 | 0 | |
| BJC HealthCare | 12 | 12 | 0 | |
| Froedtert Medical Center | 12 | 12 | 0 | |
| Henry Ford Health System | 12 | 12 | 0 | Excluding co-branded GoHealth centers |
| Indiana University Health | 12 | 12 | 0 | |
| Marshfield Clinic | 12 | 12 | 0 | |
| Rochester Regional Health | 12 | 12 | 0 | |
| University of Maryland Medical System | 12 | 12 | 0 |