A new study finds that urgent care centers, as a more cost-effective option than emergency departments for some medical problems, may proliferate, especially as the shortage of primary-care physicians increases. The survey of 436 urgent care centers, published in BMC Health Services Research, found that the average reimbursement of $103 per patient visit is on par with primary care visits but is much less than the mean payment for ED visits at $560. Family physicians typically staff urgent care centers, with common services including fracture care, suturing lacerations, x-rays, pain management, and administration of IV fluids. The study also found that 22 percent of urgent care centers have a basic electronic health record, exceeding the 11 percent of four- to five-physician practices that have electronic records. Urgent care physician salaries at $158,845 are comparable to those of family practitioners.
In related news, The New York Times reports that hospitals are creating their own walk-in clinics to compete with those at stores such as Wal-Mart and CVS. The clinics help reduce the overcrowding in emergency departments and allow hospitals to reach more patients with insurance or cash. And patients that are introduced to a hospital through a walk-in clinic may return for inpatient care, such as to deliver a baby. Of the 1,000 retail clinics, one in 10 has a relationship to a hospital. A Harris Interactive poll found that 11 percent of the population has used a retail clinic in the last 10 months compared to 7 percent last year. Mayo Clinic has two retail clinics—one in a supermarket and one in a mall--and six primary-care practices that have hours in the evening and on weekends. “We think of ourselves as a new model of care; we meet our patients at least halfway,” Dr. David Herman, who oversees the clinics, told the Times.
