I am fortunate to be attending the 2025 California Urgent Care Association (CalUCA) Western Regional Conference in Irvine, California. The...
The State of Urgent Care – CALIFORNIA
Tomorrow I am headed to the CalUCA Western Regional Conference 10/22-10/24 in Irvine California! Perfect timing for an overview of CA. Click the link in my post to learn more about Urgent Care in this great state!
Incorporating Urgent Care Reduces Inappropriate ER Visits
Emergency departments are seeing a 6% rise in emergent visits, while urgent visits have remained flat, according to Vizient Sg2. To preserve ER capacity and improve throughput, health systems are encouraged to redirect low-acuity patients to alternative care sites like Urgent Care centers. Proper care setting utilization reduces costs, improves outcomes, and enhances patient satisfaction. Explore key ED trends, including average length of stay, visit forecasts through 2035, and payer mix shifts. Urgent Care remains a convenient, cost-effective solution for non-emergency needs.
Ambulatory “Boom” Expected for Health Systems
In this article Becker’s Hospital Review outlines indicators that the growth of the ambulatory segment of health systems is about to see exponential growth. While this expected growth is beyond just the Urgent Care space (ASCs for example), UCCs are part of the plan.
Urgent Care by the Numbers
September 2025 Urgent Care Ranking Report - top operators broken down by hospital-owned/affiliated & independent as well as a ranking of states by center count
Rural EDs with no physician on-site
There are 704 counties in the United States that are classified as 100% rural. In many of these counties, emergency departments are operating without a physician on-site, ever.
Visits to ED – Emergent vs. Urgent
In the first quarter of 2025 it is estimated that 61% of visits to the ER are emergent and 39% are urgent. Emergent visits are expected to rise another 8% by 2035. Urgent visits are not expected to rise.
CA Payer Fined – Access to Care
7 payers have been fined to date in 2025 by states for slow reimbursements, improper denials and mental health parity violations. One related to Urgent Care.
Are Medically Underserved Areas (MUAs) Opportunities for Urgent Care?
Medically Underserved Areas (MUAs) are geographic regions that lack adequate access to primary healthcare services, as defined by the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA). With many rural hospitals facing closure, the number of MUAs is expected to increase. But do these areas have the potential to support a successful Urgent Care center?
More than 700 hospitals at risk
Nearly 800 rural U.S. hospitals are at risk of closure due to financial problems, with about 40% of those hospitals at immediate risk of closure.