UMC Health System opened a new 24-hour urgent care (UC) in Lubbock, Texas, this month, and it’s a strong indicator of where growth trends may lead in 2025. While the UC market in general has gravitated to an 8AM to 8PM schedule, more extended-hours sites are emerging. Staffing remains the biggest challenge in this case, according to Alan A. Ayers, MBA, MAcc, President of Urgent Care Consultants and Senior Editor of The Journal of Urgent Care Medicine. “Urgent care is busiest, and patient demand is greatest during daytime hours,” he says. “And for health insurance payers, that leaves emergency department (ED) utilization higher for the hours in between 8PM and midnight, after the closure of urgent care centers. Because of the scheduling implications of an urgent care clinic operating, say, 16 hours a day—with multiple or overlapping shifts as opposed to a single 12-hour shift—it’s not practical for many urgent cares to cover those ‘in between’ hours. Understanding the value proposition of emergency room cost avoidance, we are seeing a phenomenon of more late-night and even 24/7 urgent care access across Texas.”
And there’s this: Ayers also says 24-hour and late-night UC models have emerged to keep pace with private, freestanding EDs that charge ED rates and facility fees for low acuity concerns.