Scott Prysi, MD
For the last 30 years, Urgent Care centers have been transforming healthcare by moving the patient to the center of care—that means serving patients with urgent medical problems with extended hours and onsite X-ray and lab services when and where they want it. We operated throughout the pandemic when virtually all other healthcare access points closed, and we came out stronger with new relationships with local hospitals and health departments as well as a heightened reputation in the eyes of our patients. Since then, many of us have added additional service lines like primary care and behavioral health to meet the needs of our communities. This evolution from the “doc in a box” days will continue with the incorporation of new technologies and further integration of scheduling and access processes into our practices over the next few years. I’m excited about the future of our industry.
The Urgent Care Association (UCA) is a thriving, dynamic organization that continues to evolve and explore new ideas while staying focused on our mission: to ensure the advancement and long-term success of Urgent Care. Through the College of Urgent Care Medicine, we’re working toward a specialty designation for our members, which will give us the clout to develop our own code set. Through the Urgent Care Foundation, we’re raising awareness of our field in the healthcare ecosystem and public domain. Over the coming year, there will be some significant changes within the organization with expanded lobbying efforts, the introduction of a new CEO and a Board of Directors reinvigorated with the talents and enthusiasm of two new members. Change always leads to new opportunities, and I’m confident we’ll search out and find those opportunities as we grow as an organization.
Top Priorities
Two priorities for the immediate future are building on the legislative momentum we’ve started in Washington with our lobbyist partner McDermott+ and expanding our regional chapters. Achieving bipartisan support from legislators on our letter to the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services in support of Urgent Care was a big win for our Advocacy team and sets us up nicely for further lobbying efforts. Financial support from the membership for this activity will be important going forward, and I hope everyone will answer the call to donate to our Advocacy fund to ensure this momentum is able to continue.
The growth and support of our regional chapters is another priority. Raising the awareness of Urgent Care can be done at the national level, and it will be, but it’s more successful with grassroots efforts at the state level. New regional chapters are being developed to make this happen, and UCA is creating the framework to develop and support them.
As you know, CEO Lou Ellen Horwitz will step down later this year. The search for our new CEO started in late 2023 with the creation of a detailed job description, written by the CEO Search Committee. The position was officially posted at the beginning of March, and we’ve received over 700 applications to date. The committee is working through the candidates to get to a manageable interview pool with interviews expected to run through the summer. The quality of applicants has been amazing, and I’m confident we’ll end up with a very talented and committed leader for this next stage of UCA’s growth.
An organization is only as strong as its membership and its leadership from the Board of Directors. I want to thank two members rotating off the Board this year: Dr. Max Lebow and Mike Dalton. Between them, they have given 13 years of service to UCA, and their dedication and hard work have made us a stronger organization. And last but not least, I want to thank our Immediate Past President, Dr. Payman Arabzadeh, for his leadership, diplomacy, and grace as our president this past year. I am honored to continue the legacy of the incredible UCA presidents before me, and I look forward to working with the Board and all of you in the coming year to continue the advancement and ensure the long-term success of Urgent Care.
Download the article PDF: To Evolve is to Succeed
