Journal of Urgent Care Medicine

‘Occupational Exposure’ to COVID-19

Alan A. Ayers, MBA, MAcc is Chief Executive Officer of Velocity Urgent Care and is Practice Management Editor of The Journal of Urgent Care Medicine. Urgent Message: Exposure to coronavirus by an urgent care provider or staff can lead to absence from work, unplanned medical expenses, and invoke short-term disability. Take precautions and create a business infectious disease outbreak response plan that you can share with everyone at your facilities. “Wash your hands!” Anytime you …

How Does a Private Equity Buyer View the Future Landscape of Urgent Care?

Urgent message: Private equity remains highly interested in the urgent care sector and will continue to be an active buyer group, but the next generation of leading platforms will need to demonstrate superior operational competencies and a differentiated growth strategy. Alan A. Ayers, MBA, MAcc is Chief Executive Officer of Velocity Urgent Care, LLC and is Practice Management Editor of The Journal of Urgent Care Medicine. At the 2020 ConvUrgent Care Conference in Scottsdale, AZ, …

Strategic Real Estate Tactics in Urgent Care Site Selection

Alan A. Ayers, MBA, is Chief Executive Officer of Velocity Urgent Care and is Practice Management Editor of The Journal of Urgent Care Medicine. Urgent message: When competing in crowded, heavily saturated urgent care markets, employing strategic real estate tactics in site selection can give your urgent care center an edge over the competition. Urgent care is a retail business, so site selection is critical in getting patients through the door. Most owner-operators understand the …

A Capitol Idea: The Highly Competitive Washington, DC Market Holds Insights For Urgent Care Success

Urgent message: While the Washington, DC metro area has the population density, affluence and economic stability to make it attractive for urgent care, an examination of the dynamics and challenges of such a fiercely competitive, crowded market can reveal success strategies that can be applied in any urgent care market. Alan Ayers, MBA, MAcc is Chief Executive Officer of Velocity Urgent Care and is Practice Management Editor of The Journal of Urgent Care Medicine. The …

Laceration Repair: Why Quality Instruments Are Important for Patients, Clinicians, Hospitals, and Urgent Care

Urgent message: Laceration repair is one of the first skills urgent care clinicians are expected to learn and master. While much research and coursework are devoted to proper technique, very little attention has been paid to the tools of the trade. The author conducted his own research project to understand the essence of the individual instruments and instrument kits in the hope of optimizing (or improving) their design and use. Patrick O’Malley, MD INTRODUCTION Urgent …

If Your Business Doesn’t Work on Paper, It Won’t Work in Reality!

Alan A. Ayers, MBA, MAcc is Chief Executive Officer at Velocity Urgent Care and is Practice Management Editor of The Journal of Urgent Care Medicine. Urgent message: A business plan should never be a formality to meet bank or investor requirements. Rather, it should represent a rigorous testing of all your analyses and assumptions around a business decision. Because, sometimes, the “best” outcome from diligent business planning just might be the decision to forego the opportunity …

Expanding Your Urgent Care Product Line with Massage Therapy, Aesthetics, and Body Sculpting

Expanding Your Urgent Care Product Line with Massage Therapy, Aesthetics, and Body Sculpting Urgent message: Maintaining not only growth but also profitability in the increasingly competitive urgent care marketplace requires a willingness to seek out and assess new services, and the wherewithal to offer those deemed to be a good fit for your business model. “Spa services” may be one such possibility warranting consideration. Michael F. Boyle MD, MBA, FACEP, Derrick Cooney, MD, and Keith …

The Dangers of Mistaking Metrics for Strategy

Alan A. Ayers, MBA, MAcc is Chief Executive Officer of Velocity Urgent Care and is Practice Management Editor of The Journal of Urgent Care Medicine. Urgent message: While metrics are essential for measuring a business strategy’s effectiveness, losing sight of the strategy in favor of a sole focus on the metrics carries the risk of undermining the very objective the strategy was meant to achieve. “If you can’t measure it, you can’t improve it.” Or …

Five Steps for Winning Over Millennials in Urgent Care

Urgent message: Millennials constantly get a bad rap for “ruining” tried-and-tested ways of doing business. While it’s true that widespread consumer interest and demand have radically altered the way products and services must be offered, that isn’t necessarily a bad thing. For urgent care owner/operators, Millennials can actually be a huge component of a center’s success. Alan A. Ayers, MBA, MAcc is Chief Executive Officer of Velocity Urgent Care and is Practice Management Editor of …

Much Ado About Toilet Bluing (and Other Drug Testing Requirements)

Alan A. Ayers, MBA, MAcc is Practice Management Editor of The Journal of Urgent Care Medicine and is Chief Executive Officer of Velocity Urgent Care. Urgent message: While any urgent care’s preferred “toilet bluing” method for urine specimen drug screen collects would seem a mundane matter, a careless or haphazard approach can result in unintended and potentially serious consequences. Urgent care centers that provide occupational medicine and drug testing services are required to follow specific …