With approximately 9000 urgent or immediate care centers in the United States, the public now has convenient facilities for the treatment of sprains or colds, along with getting blood tests or imaging done.
The compelling benefits that people derive from these clinics are easy access and lower costs than those in emergency rooms.
This is not surprising considering the frustration people experience with long waits in emergency rooms.
According to a survey, the most common treatments in a DC immediate and primary care center was URI, or Upper Respiratory Infection, and wound repair.
“It is very convenient”, says a school teacher based in Washington. “DC immediate and primary care is now the main place for us to go, especially on weekends and or evenings when our primary care doctor does not have office hours”.
Doctors are finding that immediate care centers are an attractive investment opportunity. Private equity firms are investing billions of dollars in health and medical services.
This is not an unusual revelation considering that urgent care centers are consumer driven and fit very well into the present day lifestyles.
The compelling benefits that people derive from these clinics are easy access and lower costs than those in emergency rooms.
This is not surprising considering the frustration people experience with long waits in emergency rooms.
According to a survey, the most common treatments in a DC immediate and primary care center was URI, or Upper Respiratory Infection, and wound repair.
“It is very convenient”, says a school teacher based in Washington. “DC immediate and primary care is now the main place for us to go, especially on weekends and or evenings when our primary care doctor does not have office hours”.
Doctors are finding that immediate care centers are an attractive investment opportunity. Private equity firms are investing billions of dollars in health and medical services.
This is not an unusual revelation considering that urgent care centers are consumer driven and fit very well into the present day lifestyles.
People are looking for greater convenience, accessibility, and lower costs than what they get at other health care centers. Despite the high growth potential seen, experts say the growth will be localized. Market will depend on a case to case basis with competition, demographics, and reimbursement challenges being the key factors.
According to an MD based doctor, “Hospital systems are moving towards an era where they will be paid based on the quality of care rather than simply a payment for service”.
“Immediate care centers must improve patient outcomes by providing good quality doctors who score well on efficiency”.
Thankfully, in Alexandria, immediate care centers are now physician staffed and provide extended hours and quality care – two of the key requirements patients want.
In the years ahead, hospitals may opt to open urgent care centers. This can be happy news because such an initiative will target neighborhoods and demographics that are underserved by facilities for treatments.
With an aging population, looming shortage of primary care physicians and more insured people in the marketplace, immediate care is set to play an important role in the healthcare space.
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