“Urgent care really is that solution for a patient when they can't get their primary care office during the day or especially like in the evening or weekends,” said Dr. Victoria Regan with the Memorial Hermann GoHealth Urgent Care system.
According to 2022 data from the Urgent Care Association, there has been a 60% increase in urgent care visits since 2019. While the pandemic played a large part in increased visits, the number of overall patients in urgent cares has remained above 2019 prepandemic levels.
Memorial Hermann has opened three separate GoHealth and primary care facilities separate from its main towers in The Woodlands area over the last six months.
Urgent care and primary care are two very different services, but both aim to free up space within the main hospital systems. Urgent care is geared toward immediate health issues, such as small wounds, flu symptoms or other quickly identifiable issues that can be treated quickly.
“Those [urgent care] offices are used as an extension of those primary care offices to help meet your needs without you having to go get the expensive emergency room, and then you know have that wait and all that other exposure that goes along with being in the emergency room,” Regan said.
According to studies performed by the National Library of Medicine, urgent care centers tend to reduce hospital emergency room visits by 17% within a given area.
“It's definitely a way for people to only use the emergency room for true medical emergencies, which is really helpful,” Regan said. “Our emergency room doctors should take care of the sickest patients.”
The Urgent Care Association details the demographics of people utilizing urgent care are primarily ages 20-40, and urgent care is especially helpful for parents with young children, Regan said. Most urgent care centers are prepared to handle pediatric emergencies as well.
“Medicine and pediatric medicine are different, and that applies to even what type of testing you would do for common symptoms. So having a pediatric provider there to assess your child and manage that symptom for you and then refer you back to your pediatrician knowing that you've gotten the correct care versus incorrect care that can cause potential harm,” Regan said.
While urgent care use has dropped since 2020, the UCA predicts the need will continue to rise for the near future. Projections from the organization state the daily volume of clinics could rise another 23% before settling again.
