An Unofficial Case Study: ED Visits (and Costs) Fall When a New Urgent Care Center Opens Up

They weren’t designed as such, but recent events in Dayton, OH are proving to be a small but effective case study on the impact of urgent care. The local government was trying to drive down its healthcare costs, so it opened its own off-site urgent care/occupational medicine clinic for employees and their families. In the 3 years since, they’ve precluded around $1 million in reduced emergency spending alone. It’s gone so well that the Dayton City Commissioners just approved a $6 million contract with Healthstat, Inc. to continue operating the health-and-wellness center through the end of 2024, according to a story in the Dayton Daily News. Around 72% of employees have visited the facility since it opened; more than a quarter of their spouses have done the same.