Latest UCA/CUCM COVID-19 Data Reveal Telemedicine—and Related Reimbursements—Continue to Climb

The Urgent Care Association’s weekly snapshot of how urgent care operators are faring during the COVID-19 pandemic shows that telemedicine is continuing to contribute to both patient care and related revenues. This week’s data show that 87% of responding urgent care centers are offering telemedicine through their locations; the remaining 13% have no plans to add it right now, however. The good news for those who have taken the leap is that most are being reimbursed for those services. There’s still a long way to go to ensure the profitability of offering telemedicine in urgent care, however, as 20% of respondents say only some virtual visits are being reimbursed at the same rate as office visits. Thirty-eight percent reported that nearly all telemedicine encounters have been reimbursed at the same rate as an office visit; 29% say they have not received payment or that they don’t know their reimbursement rate for telemedicine vs office visits.