Finally, Weekly Visits to Urgent Care Are on the Rise

Most urgent care centers across the U.S. have taken a beating since social distancing recommendations and lockdown orders took hold. Patient visits fell sharply as patients who would typically come in for relatively minor complaints decided leaving home wasn’t worth the perceived risk. Finally, as parts of the country start to ease restrictions, data tracked by Experity show the industry is bouncing back strongly. Perhaps the most encouraging statistic is the difference in 7-day average of visits per clinic—which has increased 75.4% between the week of April 6–12 and the week that ended June 6. Experity attributes the fall and subsequent rise to several factors. At first patients were likely afraid to visit urgent care due to (largely unfounded) concerns that they could become infected with COVID-19 there. Then most urgent care centers were undersupplied with tests, and patients either decided they could muddle through without care or sought help elsewhere. Now, though, patients likely have a clearer understanding of the relative risk and are catching up on healthcare visits they’ve been forgoing. Bear in mind, as well, that testing supplies are more abundant—and urgent care is fully capable to support communities by testing large numbers of patients in anticipation of a possible second wave of the pandemic.