Journal of Urgent Care Medicine

Pros and Cons of Urgent Care vs Primary Care Billing for Urgent Care Services

Urgent message: While it makes business sense for the minority of urgent care facilities that do contract with and bill insurance as a primary care practice, the majority contract and bill as urgent care, given higher reimbursement and the numerous other benefits this provides an urgent care operation. Alan A. Ayers, MBA, MAcc is Chief Executive Officer of Velocity Urgent Care, LLC and is Practice Management Editor of The Journal of Urgent Care Medicine. In …

Staying in Good Stead with OSHA Starts with Maintaining Proper Records

Urgent message: Urgent care operators have a multitiered relationship with the Occupational Health and Safety Administration: as an employer required to provide a safe workplace for employees; in the context of helping occupational medicine clients maintain compliance with relevant OSHA regulations; and in maintaining through and accurate records of occ med employee cases. Alan A. Ayers, MBA, MAcc is Chief Executive Officer of Velocity Urgent Care and is Senior Practice Management Editor of The Journal …

Strategic Real Estate Tactics in Urgent Care Site Selection

Alan A. Ayers, MBA, is Chief Executive Officer of Velocity Urgent Care and is Practice Management Editor of The Journal of Urgent Care Medicine. Urgent message: When competing in crowded, heavily saturated urgent care markets, employing strategic real estate tactics in site selection can give your urgent care center an edge over the competition. Urgent care is a retail business, so site selection is critical in getting patients through the door. Most owner-operators understand the …

A Capitol Idea: The Highly Competitive Washington, DC Market Holds Insights For Urgent Care Success

Urgent message: While the Washington, DC metro area has the population density, affluence and economic stability to make it attractive for urgent care, an examination of the dynamics and challenges of such a fiercely competitive, crowded market can reveal success strategies that can be applied in any urgent care market. Alan Ayers, MBA, MAcc is Chief Executive Officer of Velocity Urgent Care and is Practice Management Editor of The Journal of Urgent Care Medicine. The …

Smoothing Ebb-and-Flow for Greater Staff Efficiency and Shorter Wait Times in Urgent Care

Alan A. Ayers, MBA, MAcc is Chief Executive Officer of Velocity Urgent Care and is Practice Management Editor of The Journal of Urgent Care Medicine. Urgent message: Integration of healthcare delivery with mobile technology is leading more urgent care operators to embrace digital queuing systems that, given their ability to positively impact patient wait times, offer the promise of elevating the patient experience—and a distinct competitive advantage. In a perfect world, every patient who showed …

What Urgent Care Operators Need to Know About OSHA

Alan A. Ayers, MBA, MAcc is Chief Executive Officer of Velocity Urgent Care and is Practice Management Editor of The Journal of Urgent Care Medicine. Urgent message: Though the topic of OSHA doesn’t often come up in the context of urgent care facilities themselves, operators are nevertheless required to have a thorough understanding of its standards and guidelines towards ensuring their facilities are in compliance, and that the health and safety of employees, patients, and …

If Your Business Doesn’t Work on Paper, It Won’t Work in Reality!

Alan A. Ayers, MBA, MAcc is Chief Executive Officer at Velocity Urgent Care and is Practice Management Editor of The Journal of Urgent Care Medicine. Urgent message: A business plan should never be a formality to meet bank or investor requirements. Rather, it should represent a rigorous testing of all your analyses and assumptions around a business decision. Because, sometimes, the “best” outcome from diligent business planning just might be the decision to forego the opportunity …

What to Do If A Competing Urgent Care Opens in Your Community

Alan A. Ayers, MBA, MAcc is Chief Executive Officer of Velocity Urgent Care and is Practice Management Editor of The Journal of Urgent Care Medicine. Urgent message: As the country’s urgent care markets become increasingly saturated, the forward-thinking operator will have a strategic patient-retention strategy ready when a competitor inevitably opens up shop in their community. As the urgent care market continues its yearly growth of around 8%, per the Urgent Care Association’s 2018 Benchmarking …

Legal Considerations for Expedited Partner Therapy in Urgent Care

Alan A. Ayers, MBA, MAcc is Chief Executive Officer of Velocity Urgent Care and is Practice Management Editor of The Journal of Urgent Care Medicine. Urgent message: Expedited Partner Therapy enables a provider, when treating a patient for a sexually transmitted infection, to give a second prescription for the patient’s partner without having to examine the partner. Introduction Expedited Partner Therapy (EPT) is the clinical practice of treating the sex partners of patients diagnosed with …

Five Steps for Winning Over Millennials in Urgent Care

Urgent message: Millennials constantly get a bad rap for “ruining” tried-and-tested ways of doing business. While it’s true that widespread consumer interest and demand have radically altered the way products and services must be offered, that isn’t necessarily a bad thing. For urgent care owner/operators, Millennials can actually be a huge component of a center’s success. Alan A. Ayers, MBA, MAcc is Chief Executive Officer of Velocity Urgent Care and is Practice Management Editor of …