The Provider Shortage May Be Both a Curse and a Blessing for Urgent Care

The evolving shortage of primary care providers is a challenge for urgent care operators in the United States, no doubt, but it is also showing to be the catalyst for additional growth within the industry, if the conclusions of a new study from FAIR Health are to be believed. Conversely, the ongoing success of urgent care may also be making it harder for primary care practices to maintain healthy clinical staffing levels. The report notes that no more than 29% of patients received care from a PCP between 2016 and 2022, attributing the low numbers at least partly to “growing alternative options such as urgent care and retail clinics, increasing out-of-pocket costs, and a shortage of clinicians.” An article published by Patient Engagement HIT goes even further in its reporting on the FAIR Health paper, calling primary care access in the U.S. “a patchwork approach” that leaves patients “filling in gaps with advanced practice providers and urgent care or retail clinics.”