Journal of Urgent Care Medicine

Apple Plans to Open Onsite Employee Health Clinics

Perhaps inspired by plans other major employers have to launch their own healthcare entities for employees, Apple will roll out onsite health clinics for its workers this spring as it scales back dependence on outside providers. Rather than making a formal announcement, however, Apple launched a new website for AC Wellness—recognizing correctly that business media would take notice. The site describes AC Wellness as “an independent medical practice dedicated to delivering compassionate, effective healthcare to …

Uber Wants to Drive Your Patients to Your Office

Recognizing what’s already going on around the country, Uber is putting a name on its efforts to be the provider of choice when patients need to see a doctor but can’t get there under their own steam. The minor twist Uber Health offers is that it is designed to encourage providers to arrange transportation for their incoming patients. While that may appear to favor traditional primary care practices, urgent care operators should consider that ready …

Healthcare Consumers Want More Connectivity, Convenience, and Time from You, Says Study

A new study by Solutionreach reveals that healthcare consumers find three things most important in improving the doctor-patient relationship—and in helping them choose who to visit when they need care. Perhaps as importantly, in terms of helping urgent care providers recognize differences in how patients of various ages view healthcare, the report breaks down responses into the categories of Millennials (ages 21–34 for purposes of this study), Generation Xers (35–51 years old), and Baby Boomers …

Penn Medicine Adds Services and Resources in Launching New Telehealth Hub

With the opening of its new 24/7 Center for Connected Care, Penn Medicine now operates one of the larges telehealth hubs in the U.S. In addition to virtual urgent care services, the system houses Penn Medicine’s 15-year-old e-ICU, and a service that focuses on patients with chronic illness. It has 50 full-time employees. The move reflects growing use of virtual care across the country, as confirmed by data from Sage Growth Partners revealing that 56% …

Research Report: Consumer-Centric Healthcare Favors Urgent Care

A trend toward high-deductible health plans and new technologies that ease access are pushing consumers to demand more from healthcare encounters, according to a new research report from CBInsights. This is evidenced by the growing popularity of “wearable” health-tracking devices and telemedicine services, but also in the number of patients who continue to flock to urgent care centers, according to the report. That, in turn, makes the industry attractive to private-equity investors, who “see opportunities …

UCA White Paper Reveals Trends in Urgent Care

A newly published report from the Urgent Care Association reveals just how far the industry has come from its “doc in a box” days, to the point that it’s now a key element of the healthcare continuum. In fact, urgent care centers account for 18.2% of all primary care visits and 9.7% of outpatients visits overall in the U.S. The Essential Role of the Urgent Care Center in Population Health also offers new data indicating …

Mercy Stresses the Urgent Care Option as ED Volume Swells

Like many facilities across the country, Mercy Hospital in Fort Smith, AR wrestles with overcrowding in the emergency room, especially during flu season. In addition to higher patient volume, resources are further stretched due to staff calling in sick in greater numbers. The administration is dealing with the crisis by employing all available resources, including making the most of the flexibility of the urgent care model. Mercy has dedicated one location specifically to patients presenting …

FDA Recommends Scaling Down X-rays for Children

The Food and Drug Administration has issued a new guidance suggesting there should be something of a kids’ menu for imaging, one that employs the lowest dose of radiation possible when imaging younger patients (or avoids x-rays altogether, if feasible). “Pediatric patients generally require less radiation than adults to obtain a quality image from an x-ray exam, so doctors must take extra care to ‘child size’ the radiation dose,” the FDA said in a statement. …

Flu Rates Have Hospital Systems Pushing Patients to Urgent Care

Pardee UNC Health Care in North Carolina and WVU Medicine in West Virginia are among the hospitals and systems advising area residents to make full use of local urgent care centers as flu cases mount, slamming emergency rooms with more visitors than they can handle efficiently. Pardee is pleading with area residents who have flu-like symptoms—or any non–life-threatening complaint—to stay away from the ED and instead visit one of its urgent care facilities. In getting …

Banner Health, Select Medical Enter New Partnership

Banner Health is joining Select Medical on an initiative to combine operations of more than 38 physical therapy centers in Arizona and four acute inpatient rehabilitation hospitals located in Phoenix. Banner, which operates 33 urgent care centers in Arizona, Colorado, and Wyoming, will be the majority owner and Select Medical the managing partner. Construction on three new acute inpatient rehabilitation hospitals will start later this year. Down the road, some existing hospitals will be consolidated …