UCA Offers Payers Rationale for Higher Reimbursements, Broader Scope for Urgent Care

Urgent care centers offer convenience and quality care that patients need, at a cost that insurers should appreciate (especially when the alternative would be an emergency room bill). You know this, but sometimes it may seem like private and public payers alike don’t have a clue. The Urgent Care Association has put together a rationale to drive these points home in a position statement aptly titled Urgent Care Centers Deserve Fair Reimbursement for the Services and Access Provided. It leverages federal government data on annual patient visits to healthcare providers to illustrate the popularity and relevance of urgent care, as well as the cost savings that can be realized when patients go to urgent care instead of a higher-acuity, higher-cost setting. The paper also reasons that “arbitrary restrictions on the scope of services provided and follow-up care are not in the best interest of the patient’s health and limit clinicians’ ability to provide care consistent with clinical best practices.” One solution the statement offers is for plan designs to align copayments “with those offered by traditional PCPs.” The text of the entire statement is available on the UCA website.