Facts about Urgent Care Centers

• Urgent Care Centers (UCC’s) are one of the fastest growing practices in medicine because (1) emergency departments (ED’s) are overcrowded and (2) people often do not have timely access to their primary care physician.
• The increasing use of hospital ED’s threatens timely access to quality healthcare and contributes to rising healthcare costs.
• A recent study conducted in Maricopa County concluded that emergent conditions that were not preventable, along with injuries, accounted for approximately 33% of all ED visits. Therefore, most ED visits could be handled in other settings; specifically, UCC’s provide an outlet for ED patients who do not require the highest acuity emergency care.
• UCC’s provide quality health care at a fraction of the cost, which ultimately benefits all consumers and the entire health care system. The average bill for hospital ED’s is approximately $850 versus $175 for UCC’s. In addition, UCC’s receive significantly less compensation from insurance companies for providing the same services (average reimbursement for ED bill is $367 versus $75 for UCC) which should lead to lower premiums.
• Physician shortages and lack of timely access to physicians are often cited as reasons for overutilization of hospital ED’s; however, UCC’s fill that void. Specifically, UCC’s provide treatment without appointments and are open extended hours as compared with primary care physicians; in addition, the numerous locations provide convenience for most consumers.
• According to the recent study by St. Luke’s Health Initiatives, many consumers (both insured and uninsured) utilize the hospital ED despite having a primary source of care, and the heaviest use is from 8:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. when both primary care physicians and UCC’s are also available options.
• Because the majority of patients accessing services in the ED do not rise to the level of emergent, they often wait for hours as those truly in need of ED services must take priority. The UCC setting provides significantly shortened wait times for patients with such non-life threatening conditions.
• The public needs to become educated and aware of their healthcare options. As policy makers and the media address the healthcare crisis in Arizona, they need to recognize that the UCC industry represents one significant solution to problems such as ED overcrowding and lack of timely access to primary care physicians due to physician shortages.
• UCC’s are required to be licensed by the Arizona Department of Health Services, and must meet specific requirements to remain licensed.
• UCC’s have many of the same on-site services as hospital ED’s, including laboratory services, radiology departments and cardiac code carts.
• Although they provide these additional services, UCC’s are paid similarly to Family Doctor’s offices by most insurance companies, increasing the value to the patient.