Urgent Care Benchmarking & Statistics
Available Results
The statistics below were originally released via the Journal of Urgent Care Medicine in aticles published in January and February, 2009. Survey data was gathered from January-March 2008. Percentages are rounded. Sample size=436
Number of Urgent Care Centers in the U.S. - approximately 8,000
UPDATED FEBRUARY 2010 - approximately 8700
Urgent care centers grew by approximately 330 from 2008-2009 and 304 from 2009-2010
(note, approximate number of EDs in the U.S. is 4,600 - source: AHA Trendwatch Sourcebook 2008)
Urgent Care Ownership
Physician Owned (54%)
Independently owned by two or more physicians - 32%
Independently owned by one physician - 22%
Hospital Owned (25%)
Hospital owned off campus - 22%
Hospital owned on campus - 3%
Hospital/Physician Joint Venture (4%)
Corporately Owned (18%)
Years in Operation
5+ years - 67%
2-5 years - 18%
1-2 years - 9%
Less than 1 year - 6%
Note: the researchers caution that this statistic may be influenced by the fact that centers with more longevity were more likely to respond.
Physician Staffing and Certification
Centers with at least one physician on site at all times - 85%
Physicians working in urgent care who are board certified in a primary specialty - 75%
Note: approximately 70% of the physicians working in primary care are board certified.
Integration with Health Care System
Centers with a list of primary care physicians for referring patients - 86%
Centers
with a list of specialty physicians for referring patients - 95%
Measuring Quality and Patient Satisfaction
Routinely measuring quality - 84%
Routinely measuring patient satisfaction - 79%
The Urgent Care Benchmarking Study Results report is available to UCAOA members in the Members Only area of the website. Non-members may purchase the 14-page report (including comparative UCAOA membership data and additional commentary from immediate past president Dr. Lee Resnick on ERs and primary care) for $49. Call (877) 698-2262 to order.
What Other Data were in the Survey?
Questions that are answered in the Final Report are:
- What services are provided by urgent care centers? (different services and percentage of centers that provide them)
- What is the average patient volume?
- What do staffing models look like? (how many physicians, NPs, PAs, nurses, medical assistants, etc.)
- What is the average patient wait time?
- How are centers using information technology (if at all)?
- What is the average revenue and reimbursement?
- What does the payer distribution look like?
- What are the typical hours during weekdays, nights and weekends?
- What are the typical credentials of the physicians working in urgent care? How are they compensated?
Future Benchmarking Surveys
UCAOA intends to continue to fund and support ongoing benchmarking surveys for the industry, provided organizational resources are available. The next survey will be conducted in 2010. You can ensure this continuation by supporting UCAOA through membership, conference attendance, exhibiting and sponsorship opportunities.
