Urgent Care Centers
This article provides insightful industry analysis and research into the Urgent Care Centers industry. This article discusses the definition, key industry products, and activities along with major industry trends. Understand the revenue model, a brief history of trends during the current century, and key challenges currently being faced by the Urgent Care Centers industry.
What are Urgent Care Centers?
Urgent care is the delivery of ambulatory care in a facility dedicated to the delivery of medical care outside of a hospital emergency department, usually on an unscheduled, walk-in basis. Urgent care centers are primarily used to treat patients who have an injury or illness that requires immediate care but is not serious enough to warrant a visit to an emergency department. Urgent care centers provide walk-in, extended hour access for acute illness and injury care that is either beyond the scope or availability of the typical primary care practice or retail clinic. Often urgent care centers are not open on a continuous basis, unlike a hospital emergency department that would be open at all times. Urgent care centers are distinguished from other similar types of ambulatory healthcare centers, such as emergency departments, and walk-in primary care centers by the scope of illness treated and facilities available on-site.
What is the business model of Urgent Care Centers?
They are typically staffed with physicians, and may also have physician assistants, nurses, nurse practitioners, medical assistants, and radiology technicians working with patients. They typically open between 8 and 9 am, and close between 7 and 9 pm on the weekdays (and somewhat earlier on weekends).
Urgent care centers are usually located in freestanding buildings, and the majority of centers are independently owned by physicians or groups of physicians. About 25 percent are owned by a hospital system – and most of those are located off the main hospital campus. Urgent care centers may also provide other healthcare services in addition to treating common and acute illness and injury. Many centers provide occupational medicine services, travel medicine services, and sports and school physicals.
What is the Urgent Care Centers Industry?
This industry includes facilities that deliver medical care on an unscheduled, walk-in basis. Urgent care centers are primarily used to treat patients who have an injury or illness that requires immediate care but is not serious enough to warrant emergency room care. There are over 8,700 urgent care centers in the US, approximately 4,500 of which are fully-fledged centers that would meet the criteria for a Certified Urgent Care center.
Urgent Care Centers Industry Products:
- Diagnostic testing and laboratory services
- Medication dispensing
- Minor procedures
- Physician Specialties
- Family Physicians
- Emergency Medicine
- Internal Medicine
Urgent Care Centers Industry Activities:
- Treating common and acute illness and injury
- Occupational medicine services
- Travel medicine services
- Sports and school physicals
- Diagnose general symptoms
- Fever Treatment
- Upper respiratory infections treatment
- Sprains and strains treatment
- Lacerations, contusions, and back pain treatment
- Fractures treatment
- Provide IV fluids,
- Provide x-ray services & lab processing onsite
- Provide routine blood tests and other diagnostic laboratory procedures
- Provide pre-packaged prescription services
- Provide treatment for minor traumas such as broken bones and lacerations
Trends and Challenges for Urgent Care Centers Industry:
The Urgent Care Centers industry represents one of the fastest-growing segments of the American healthcare system. Given below are some key trends of this industry:
- Approximately 8,700 centers in the U.S.
- 65% of centers have at least one physician on-site at all times
- Rising demand due to primary care centers reaching capacity
- Rising wait times for both primary- and emergency-care providers
- The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act
- Cost-saving initiatives
Related Links
You May Also Like
-
This article provides insightful industry analysis and research into the In-Home Senior Care industry. This article discusses the definition, key industry products, and activities along with major industry trends. Understand the revenue model, a brief history of trends during the current century, and key challenges currently being faced by the In-Home Senior Care industry.
-
This article briefly describes what we mean by the term hospitals; classify them based on their funding and on the basis of services offered by them. Get an understanding of various departments in hospitals and get an introduction to various types of hospitals including General Medical & Surgical Hospitals, Specialty Hospitals, Teaching Hospitals, Clinics, Psychiatric Hospitals, Family Planning & Abortion Clinics, Hospices & Palliative Care Centers, Emergency & Other Outpatient Care Centers, Sleep Disorder Clinics, etc.
-
Sectors of Healthcare Industry
The healthcare industry provides a variety of services to support the healthcare needs of a community or individuals. A universally agreed-upon classification of sectors does not exist, but the key sectors of the healthcare industry can be broadly classified into four sectors called 'Health care services and facilities', 'Medical devices, equipment, and hospital supplies manufacturers', Medical insurance, medical services and managed care' and 'Pharmaceuticals & Related Segments".
-
This article provides insightful industry analysis and research into the Sleep Disorder Clinics industry. This article discusses the definition, key industry products, and activities along with major industry trends. Understand the revenue model, a brief history of trends during the current century, and key challenges currently being faced by the Sleep Disorder Clinics industry.
-
This article provides insightful industry analysis and research into the Blood & Organ Banks industry. This article discusses the definition, key industry products, and activities along with major industry trends. Understand the revenue model, a brief history of trends during the current century, and key challenges currently being faced by the Blood & Organ Banks industry.
-
Healthcare Systems – Public , Private and Mixed
This article explains the concept of health systems and their importance and funding practices. It helps the reader to understand public, private, and mixed health systems and their significance and roles in catering to any nation’s healthcare requirements.
-
History of Healthcare Industry
This article provides a short history of healthcare industry and discusses major world events that impacted and shaped the healthcare industry as it stands today. This article briefly traces global healthcare history from ancient times to the colonial era to the modern-day. This article also discusses various ideologies that have dictated the path of global health and set the trend towards globalization of the healthcare sector.
-
This article provides insightful industry analysis and research into the Nursing Care Facilities industry. This article discusses the definition, key industry products, and activities along with major industry trends. Understand the revenue model, a brief history of trends during the current century, and key challenges currently being faced by the Nursing Care Facilities industry.
-
Overview of Healthcare Industry
The health care industry, or medical industry, is a sector that provides goods and services to treat patients with curative, preventive, rehabilitative, or palliative care. The modern health care sector is divided into many sub-sectors and depends on interdisciplinary teams of trained professionals and paraprofessionals to meet the health needs of individuals and populations. This article provides an overview of the medical industry.
-
This article provides insightful industry analysis and research into the Urgent Care Centers industry. This article discusses the definition, key industry products, and activities along with major industry trends. Understand the revenue model, a brief history of trends during the current century, and key challenges currently being faced by the Urgent Care Centers industry.
