By Jordan Parnell

What’s not to like about the emergence of urgent care centers that are expanding fast across the U.S.? These on-demand healthcare clinics beat the emergency room experience hands down in waits and costs, as long as your situation is not truly emergent in nature. They’re easy to find with no appointments necessary. And the quality of care tends to be good, too.

They’re an alternative to traditional primary care practices and are also helping to relieve pressure on hospital emergency rooms. One report said payers saw urgent care utilization skyrocket 1,725% from 2007 to 2016. So it’s no surprise that some 8,100 urgent care centers were operating in 2018, up from 6,400 in 2014. Expect another 500 to 600 to open this year.

In many respects, urgent care providers have improved healthcare delivery, but at the same time, certain risks have been heightened in this environment. Providers should look into three areas in order to manage their increased risk of medical malpractice:

  • Each new patient is a new risk. It’s unlikely that urgent care practitioners will know patients and their medical histories or even have access to their medical records to get a more complete picture of the individual’s health issues. Allergies, medications and chronic conditions must be filled in with each visit. Plus, the clinic may be independent of the local large health system which would limit access to their medical records system for local patients.
  • The patient’s failure to communicate. The lack of personal history cuts both ways since the patient doesn’t think about the practitioner not knowing important details about how he or she responds to treatment. When the patient doesn’t share a tendency to faint after injections, for example, when it happens, the physician can be caught unaware, an injury can result and so might a malpractice case.
  • Lack of “brand” loyalty. Because of their in-and-out nature, urgent care centers don’t cultivate the same long-term relationships that primary care practices and doctors do with patients and their families. The patient with a personal history with the practitioner is less likely to litigate for “honest” mistakes. That’s not so much the case with the urgent care practitioner.

In the age of immediate access to service and information, there’s a definite need and place for a healthy community of urgent care centers. At the same time, practitioners need to keep in mind that their different approach to care makes it critical to keep a keen eye on potential risk factors.

HUB International’s team of healthcare experts is ready to help your practice assess its risks and liabilities in today’s environment.