Care Coordination Helps Patients, But How Does Urgent Care Fit In?

A new study by Neilsen Strategic Health Perspectives and the Council of Accountable Physician Practices affirms that outcomes are better when multiple providers who’ve treated the same patient share information. However, it also points out that communication between providers suffers when an urgent care center is outside of a health system. This represents a lost opportunity, as just 38% of physician offices provide access to an urgent cate center through the same medical group. Interestingly, the same percentage have access to care 24 hours a day; the study concluded that improving off-hours access in settings like urgent care could also reduce overuse of the emergency room.