In each issue on this page, we report on research from or relevant to the emerging urgent care marketplace. This month, we offer another look at data from the most recent annual survey conducted by UCA. (In early 2008, UCA revamped its annual survey in conjunction with researchers at Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard University, with the goal of assuring that the UCA Benchmarking Committee’s efforts produced a scientifically valid report.)
In this issue: What time do U.S. urgent care centers close their doors to incoming patients each night?
Note: Approximately 15% of responding centers reported being closed on Sundays.
Do you know what time your local primary care offices and retail clinics close? Maybe more to the point: Are your prospective patients aware of when they can visit, particularly if they need medical care at a time of day when the emergency room is the only other option?
Acknowledgement: Data submitted by Robin M. Weinick, PhD, at the time of the survey assistant professor, Harvard Medical School and senior scientist, Institute for Health Policy, Massachusetts General Hospital. Dr. Weinick is also a member of the JUCM Advisory Board. Financial support for this study was provided by UCA.
If you are aware of new data that you’ve found useful in your practice, let us know via e-mail to [email protected]. We’ll share your discovery with your colleagues in an upcoming issue of JUCM.