Urgent care centers are making an impact on orthopedics. Many practices — large and small — are opening or considering urgent care services to meet the evolving needs of their patients.
Alejandro Badia, MD, a hand surgeon based in Florida, was among the forefront of this trend. He established an orthopedic urgent care center for his practice in 2010 and turned the brand into a franchise by 2014, according to an Orlando Sentinel report.
Orthopedic urgent care clinics, open nights and weekends, are convenient for sprains, strains and fractures, especially when sustained during off-hours. Athletes often participate in Friday evening or Saturday morning games, and the urgent care clinic allows them to address their injuries right away instead of waiting until Monday or going to the emergency room.
At the orthopedics-focused urgent care clinics, patients can see an orthopedic specialist quickly and efficiently on a walk-in basis. Many orthopedic urgent care clinics include services like bracing, splints or X-ray. If the urgent care is connected to an ambulatory surgery center, patients may be able to undergo minor outpatient surgical procedures.
Here are five key statistics on urgent care clinics:
1. There are more than 7,000 urgent care centers in the United States.
2. The urgent care clinic is expected to grow 4 percent to 6 percent over the next several years.
3. Urgent care centers are primarily independently owned but there has been a recent shift to outpatient care driving more hospitals and health insurances to open urgent care clinics.
4. Companies such as Walgreens are opening urgent care clinics to accommodate patients. These clinics typically have lower co-pays and out-of-pocket costs than at other urgent care clinics.
5. There are 10 OrthoNOW clinics sold, with a cost of $450,000 to $850,000 and are owned or operated by solo physicians or group practices.