NC Hospital Assesses ED Traffic and Opens New Specialty Urgent Care

Flexibility and responsiveness to patient needs have become synonymous with the urgent care industry—though often it’s smaller, urgent care-exclusive operators who have the wherewithal to act so fast. Novant Hospital in Charlotte, NC is taking a page from their playbook, though, by responding to a perceived need in the community and opening the Women’s Urgent Care Center. Averaging roughly 50 patients per week, the clinic would be hard pressed to survive as a stand-alone entity, but in the context of getting nonemergent patients into the care of a provider as quickly as possible it’s been a resounding success so far. Women with symptoms of urinary tract infections or what prove to be relatively minor concerns about existing pregnancies might languish for hours before seeing someone in the ED. Instead, they’re being treated (and reassured) by women’s health experts in a setting that’s been specifically set up for their needs.