Practice Management
Just days ago, we told you that Ascension had plans to downscale its footprint, focusing less on its identity as a large hospital system in favor of more emphasis on broader community access and patient-driven care. Now the company is demonstrating that ethos by stepping back from its plans to merge with Providence St. Joseph Health, according to the Wall Street Journal. That deal would have made the combined company the largest hospital provider in …
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Lower reimbursements, regulatory challenges, and increased competition are among the factors moving Ascension to reduce its “footprint,” according to a new article in Modern Healthcare. CEO Anthony Tersigni told employees that the company would be restructured from its current model as a hospital system “to one that’s focused on outpatient care and telemedicine.” Ascension saw revenues drop 27% last year compared with 2016 (though nonoperating income increased by $1.31 billion). It’s noteworthy that inpatient and …
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The U.S. urgent care market will continue to grow through at least 2023—to an overall value of $25.93 billion, according to a report just released by MarketsandMarkets. The research, packaged under the title Urgent Care Center Market by Service (Acute Illness Treatment, Trauma/Injury Treatment, Physical Examination, Immunization & Vaccination), Ownership (Corporate Owned, Physician Owned, Hospital Owned), and Region – Global Forecast to 2023, attributes the ongoing surge to the public’s demand for affordable care and shorter …
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Hospital-owned urgent care centers continue to be a growing segment of the marketplace—but their growth is still not on pace with privately owned companies, especially larger entities like MedExpress, CityMD, and others, according to a new report from Merchant Medicine. In Calm Before the Storm?, CEO Tom Charland points out that industry growth last year was led by “top independent operators” who grew 11% in 2017. Hospitals are opening more centers, too, just not as …
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The country’s most recognized business publication has picked up on what we’ve been sharing with you all along: The urgent care market has done nothing but grow in recent years, to the point that it’s overall value is now estimated to be $18 billion. Forbes just ran an article also noting that the most recent industry projections see further growth of 5.8% in this year alone. Forbes observed that our industry is not only growing …
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In September, we told you about an urgent care center in North Carolina that had committed to serving the immediate needs of patients with psychiatric and behavioral health concerns—but was struggling to attract enough patients. The staff was seeing fewer than 17 patients a week then; today, it’s closer to 50, halfway to their goal of serving 100 each week. Carolina Outreach just conducted an open house to celebrate its 6-month anniversary and to continue …
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The growing geriatric population in the U.S. and increasing demand for convenient and cost-effective care worldwide will be key in the continued growth of the global urgent care market—pushing its overall value to $30.5 billion by 2020, according to a new report from Market Research Reports Search Engine (MRRSE). Urgent Care Centers Market – Global Industry Analysis, Size, Share, Growth, Trends and Forecast, 2017–2020 cautions that the physician shortage being experienced in multiple practice settings, …
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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, …
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The Mercy health system and GoHealth Urgent Care have big plans for 2018, partnering on a joint venture that will create a growing network of urgent care centers across the Midwest. GoHealth already covers both coasts with 80 urgent care centers in Connecticut, New York, California, and Oregon; they’ll launch more than 30 cobranded Mercy-GoHealth Urgent Care Centers over the next 2 years in St. Louis and Springfield, MO; Oklahoma City; and northwest Arkansas. Hospital …
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Another urgent care entrepreneur is taking her show on the road, this time in and around Colorado Springs. The brainchild of nurse practitioner Eileen Flavin, Anywhere Urgent Care is a house calls-only urgent care that boasts it offers 90% of the “essential” urgent care services available in clinic locations (leaving out x-rays and ultrasound, but including basic labs, simple suturing, and treatment for an array of complaints) as well as the off-hours convenience that’s become …
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