Financial health and profitability are perpetually top of mind for urgent care executives, particularly for new clinics ramping up to the breakeven point. Multi-site operators are often focused on regional expansion—but what’s the next step for growing your business? If you’ve overexpanded, how can you pull back and drive up profitability? You must understand which business levers you can pull...
In the late 90’s and early 2000’s, Apple transformed the already-booming technology industry with an incredibly simple line of products: the iMac. Through their laser-focus on consumer needs, attention to detail, and vision, they have become an absolute powerhouse. Let’s dig into what Apple got right, how it applies to urgent care, and what business strategies you can borrow from Apple to...
On any given day, an urgent care can see hundreds of patients–the ins and outs of high acuity care can be challenging in the best of times. That’s why it’s essential to automate as much of your daily work as possible. With automated systems in place, your practice can have a smooth flow of patients in and out without a front office on the brink of mental breakdown. Automation #1:...
Imagine this–a child falls on the playground and seems to have fractured an ankle. Where would the parent or caregiver likely take them for care? Many would immediately turn to the emergency room, illustrating a missed opportunity for urgent care centers. Instead of being the first choice for more complex care, urgent care centers that refer out patients with high acuity needs risk losing...
Your book ahead and walk-in patient volumes have probably decreased this last few weeks. How are you adjusting your business strategy as a result? As an urgent care operator and business leader, there are questions you should be asking yourself. What do you think is the most important factor patients are considering when choosing a provider? What do you think a patient's top values are when...
The pandemic revolutionized the face of modern medical care. New vaccine technology was utilized, contact tracing expanded, and—perhaps most impactful to patients and providers—widespread telehealth became a reality. In fact, providers saw a 78% spike in the use of telehealth services in just two months in early 2020. Fear may have motivated the initial increase in telehealth services, but...
2021 was a roller coaster of a year for healthcare providers. After a tough year, we thought vaccines would help things get back to normal—and then the Delta variant hit. From huge patient volume swings to a national staffing crisis to keeping up with massive tech advances in healthcare, 2021 was a volatile year. What lessons did you learn? What are you taking with you into 2022? How are you...
In 2018, Mercer predicted that demand for healthcare workers will outpace supply by 2025 (source). Then, in 2020, the pandemic hit. COVID-19 amplified staffing issues at medical offices. Nearly 1 in 5 healthcare workers have quit their jobs since February 2020, and an additional 31% of healthcare workers (who have kept their job during the pandemic) have considered quitting. We know that...
You understand that your front desk staff isn’t just answering phones and letting the doctor know when patients have arrived—there are complexities and challenges in their work, and those have been further exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic. As we head into flu season—your busiest season of the year—how can your clinical workflow be tweaked to make your front desk staff’s lives a bit...
Emergency department (ED) diversion is a long-standing strategy that is deployed when hospital beds are full and the ED cannot send admitted patients upstairs to a bed. In short, hospitals can request from local EMS officials to be placed on ‘diversion status’ in order to not receive any more EMS mediated visits until conditions in the ED improve. Due to the recent COVID spike, hospitals...
