Bruce Japsen, Senior Contributor
Feb 25, 2019, 07:56am
The number of urgent care centers in the U.S.
has surpassed 8,700 as big well-capitalized companies like CVS Health and
Walgreens Boots Alliance consider whether to add such services across the
country.
The number of U.S. urgent care
centers rose 8% to 8,774 last year from 8,125 in 2017 ,
according to the latest figures from the Urgent Care Association, which
released a new report this week in collaboration with Merchant Medicine.
Urgent care is similar to retail health
clinics operated by Walgreens, CVS and Walmart in that they are open daily,
evenings and on weekends to treat routine health needs. But urgent care centers
also generally offer more in the form of a board-certified physician plus
additional services such as X-rays for potential broken bones.
The increase in urgent centers is already
benefitting from big players opening more centers in competition with large
hospital systems that have been driving growth. And there’s the potential for
even bigger players to get involved like CVS and Walgreens.
Walgreens is in testing stages of its
partnership with MedExpress, the urgent care unit of UnitedHealth Group’s Optum
health services business. The pilot project between Walgreens and MedExpress
currently has grown to 15 urgent care locations in Nebraska, Nevada, Texas,
Virginia and West Virginia. In these markets, MedExpress centers open adjacent
to Walgreens.
There is also speculation that CVS Health will
enter the urgent care business now that its acquisition of Aetna, the nation’s
third largest health insurer, is complete. Though CVS hasn’t announced any
urgent care center partnerships or development, executives are working on ways
to add new treatments and health services.
The health insurers see urgent care as yet
another way keep patients healthy and out of the more expensive inpatient
hospital setting. Such a value-based approach to medicine is increasingly
replacing the fee-for-service model that emphasizes volume of medical care
delivered.
The urgent care group’s report noted that
about one-third of patients who seek care at an urgent care are “unaffiliated
with a primary care provider or a medical home.” That could figure into a boost
in revenue for health insurers and providers working to reduce unnecessary
hospitalizations and emergency room visits.
“Urgent care centers continue to expand their
scope of services, catering to the needs of local patient populations,” Urgent
Care Association CEO Laurel Stoimenoff in a statement accompanying the group’s
report. “Specialty services such as occupational medicine, pediatric care and
telemedicine are becoming more prevalent, increasing access for patients across
the country, particularly in underserved communities. These services help
alleviate crowded emergency departments while reducing the impact of physician
shortages in communities nationwide.”
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