Lee A. Resnick, MD, FAAFP
The Urgent Care Association’s spring convention in New Orleans, April 28–May 2 culminated an incredible year for our association. The convention was attended by 660 urgent care practitioners and administrators, and represented an incredible show of strength for our industry, the discipline of urgent care medicine, and UCA. As witnessed by those of you who have attended many of our recent conventions, UCA has achieved remarkable growth in only four years of existence.
With that growth comes responsibility. Responsibility to be well governed and accountable. Responsibility to be transparent and financially mindful. Responsibility to invest in the growth of our discipline and representation of our industry. Responsibility to be a clearinghouse of information relevant to practice growth and clinical quality.
Since last May, through the incredible work of dedicated staff, committee members, and volunteers at large, UCA has made extraordinary achievements:
- Membership has grown 125%.
- In collaboration with Robin Weinick, PhD and The Institute for Health Policy at Massachusetts General Hospital, we completed the first national sampling frame, identifying over 8,000 urgent care centers across the To put this in perspective, there are less than 4,300 emergency departments by comparison.
- With the help of these same researchers, we completed the first scientifically valid benchmarking survey ever done in our industry, the results of which were summarized at the annual members Both of these efforts represent a giant leap towards legitimizing and accurately representing the impact and role of urgent care within the healthcare delivery system.
- JUCM, The Journal of Urgent Care Medicine continued its strong growth. With a circulation of over 13,000 urgent care practitioners and administrators, the journal solidified its standing as the most important forum in the country for peer-reviewed and practice management content relevant to urgent care practice.
- The first fellowship in urgent care medicine, at University Hospitals in Cleveland, OH, completed its first year, graduating three fellows in July The program has since expanded to the University of Illinois Rockford College of Medicine, in collaboration with Physicians Immediate Care. A commitment to education is a critical piece of any evolved medical discipline and helps ensure the clinical quality necessary to the successful practice of urgent care. Additional educational programs focused on continuing education for new and experienced urgent care practitioners are planned.
As I have said before, success is merely a mandate for future accomplishment. And your support is critical to our future. Our ability to achieve our mission, to provide leadership, education and resources for the successful practice of urgent care, depends on member support. We are a volunteer organization, and member involvement drives the organization and ensures we speak with a representative voice. Participate in a committee, submit a manuscript to the journal, volunteer to speak at a conference, recruit new members, organize regionally. Ask yourself how you can contribute to the mission, how you can make the organization better.
We welcome your feedback, but we depend on your contribution.
Thank you for believing in UCA. On behalf of you, we are committed to our vision: To be the catalyst for the recognition of urgent care as an essential part of the healthcare system. With your help, we will achieve.
