More than 80% of consumers live or work within 15 minutes of an urgent care (UC) center, according to a national survey from healthcare communications firm Jarrard. Not at all surprising, nearly 40% of the survey respondents said the convenience of walking in was the top reason why they chose to go to UC instead of primary care for their most recent UC visit, followed by the convenience of getting an appointment in the expected timeframe, which was cited by nearly 30% of the respondents. More than 20% cited the fact that they could receive care in UC after normal business hours. Even more telling is the finding that 80% of those surveyed said they have a primary care provider, but they still access UC even so. About 48% of respondents said they had missed or avoided care in the past year, and 15% of those said the reason was because they couldn’t get an appointment at a convenient time. Individual survey-question responses ranged from about 780 people responding to more than 1,000.
How to win them over: For most consumers, the idea of quality is measured by the patient-provider relationship. A provider who listens (top ranking) and staff that is caring and friendly (second most ranking) earn their trust and boost the perception of quality.