Offering Urgent Care ‘Subscriptions’ May Boost Patient Engagement

We’ve mentioned here that healthcare costs and physician shortages could amount to an opportunity for creative urgent care businesses. Valley Immediate Care in Oregon is the latest operator to adopt an increasingly popular strategy to take advantage of that opportunity: low-cost “subscription” healthcare services, in this case marketed under the name My Urgent Care 365. Individual subscriptions cost $40 a month and entitle the subscriber to three visits annually, with a $25 urgent care fee. Half-price discounts are available for certain accident-related treatments and some diagnostic tests. A family subscription for up to five people is $65 each month and is good for five visits over the year, plus flu shots and sports physicals. The joining fee is $20; follow-up visits within five days don’t count toward the annual cap. The plan also has an occupational medicine component, offering local employers an alternative for about $30 per worker per month. Valley Immediate Care has five locations across three counties in Oregon.