Marketplace

Health system consolidation, reductions in hospital services, and hospital closures have been making it harder for residents of rural communities of the United States to get reasonable access to high-quality healthcare for years now. It’s fallout from abortion legislation that could be the tipping point that sends some of those communities into crisis mode, however. JUCM News has reported predictions of this dire scenario from various sources previously, but now there are actual data confirming …

Baylor Scott and White Health, the largest nonprofit health system in Texas, is making a major effort to increase its presence in the urgent care marketplace by bringing 41 NextCare locations into the fold. As reported by D magazine, the move will break new markets including Abilene, San Antonio, and Houston for BSWH, which currently operates eight branded UCCs in the state. Branding for the new locations is yet to be made public. The partnership …

IU Health Blackford Hospital in Hartford City, IN is closing its emergency room and is going to stop offering inpatient services. In Philadelphia, Jefferson Health will cease acute care and emergency services. St. Mark’s Medical Center in La Grange, TX is cutting inpatient and orthopedic services. All told, according to a new report from Becker’s CFO Report, as of June 30 there are 42 U.S. hospital closing departments or otherwise ending services. While at least …

A Florida franchise brands company that up to now has made its mark by buying reliable food franchises like Dunkin’, Baskin-Robbins, and Popeyes Louisiana Kitchen just stepped way outside the box by taking on six existing American Family Care clinics in the Tampa area. According to an article published by the Business Observer, Purple Square Management also plans to open 18 more locations in the region over the next 5 years. Purple Square’s other holdings …

As JUCM and JUCM News readers know, urgent care has become the darling of venture capitalists’ collective eye in recent years (see Why Private Equity and Other ‘Smart Money’ Is Bullish on Brick-and-Mortar Urgent Care in the JUCM archive). It shouldn’t be surprising, then, that more niche segments of the industry are also gaining attention from eager healthcare investors. PM Pediatric Care just announced that it secured $50 million from Jefferson River Capital as part …

When the idea of drive-thru pharmacies came up in the 90s, pharmacists hated the idea, with many convinced that it diminished the image of their profession. Many likened patients driving up to receive their prescriptions to the fast-food industry. Now dedicated lanes of traffic and dispensing windows are a common sight. Could that work for urgent care, though? According to an article published by Atlanta Inno, we’re about to find out. Viral Solutions, an Atlanta …

HCA Healthcare has reached an agreement to buy 41 Texas urgent care centers from FastMed. The deal, which is expected to close over the summer, includes 19 FastMed and 22 MedPost locations in Dallas, Houston, Austin, San Antonio, and El Paso—all told, home to some 6.7 million Texans. At present, HCA operates 268 urgent care centers across the country, while FastMed operates nearly 200 spread across five states. Terms of the deal have not been …

Regular readers of JUCM News and JUCM know that multiple drugstore chains, big box retailers, and others have tried hard to steal business away from urgent care. While pharmacy companies have had a modicum of success in drawing patients concerned they could have strep throat and the like, no one has really been able to establish a substantial foothold in the way urgent care has. That doesn’t stop other companies from trying, though. In fact, …

Members of the Liberty School District’s elementary school community don’t have to go far for care when illness or injury strikes in the middle of the school day; in fact, they don’t even have to leave the grounds. WFMJ in Youngstown, OH reports that as of a few weeks ago, the “Leopard MedClinic”—named for the school mascot but operated by QUICKmed Urgent care—is open and ready to see students with urgent care needs. The intent …

Urgent care has been riding high as the darling of venture capitalists for a few years now. To you, the reasons seem obvious: patients appreciate excellent care they can access more easily than in their primary care provider’s office at a fraction of the cost insurers would have to pay if their members went to the emergency room, for starters, and investors must see the value in that. That’s the insider’s view, but it could …