Articles

By Alan A. Ayers, MBA, MAcc, President, Urgent Care Consultants Why point-of-care STI testing belongs in urgent care Patients don’t come to urgent care to wait. Modern point-of-care (POC) nucleic acid amplification tests (NAATs) for chlamydia and gonorrhea—some with trichomonas or Mycoplasma genitalium options—deliver lab-quality results before discharge. That enables evidence-based treatment and partner management immediately, […]

Alan Ayers, MBA, MAcc, President, Urgent Care Consultants Unlocking New Revenue from Ancillary Services As an urgent care operator, maximizing utilization of your assets is key to success. Your on-site X-ray suite is a significant investment, but what if you could leverage it beyond your own patient base to serve neighboring practices, like a nearby

By Alan A. Ayers, MBA, MAcc, President, Urgent Care Consultants It’s tempting to assume artificial intelligence makes a consultant optional. It doesn’t. Access to information isn’t the same as judgment. After more than 20 years developing, operating, and growing urgent care centers, completing graduate-level education in AI—and helping scale the Urgent Care Association—I can say

By Alan A. Ayers, MBA, MAcc — President, Urgent Care Consultants When patients search for care, they rarely start by asking friends or driving until they see a street-facing sign for urgent care. Today, they open Google. “Near me” searches have increased by 200% over the past two years according to Google’s Consumer Insights. Capturing

Few decisions in the urgent care startup process matter more than where you put your clinic. The right location sets you up for strong visit volumes and brand visibility from day one. The wrong one can mean sluggish growth and expensive do-overs. While most business owners know that location is important, few understand just how

Are rising wages and flat post-COVID visit volumes squeezing your urgent care’s profitability? You’re not alone. While you can’t always control payer contracts, you absolutely can control your marketing. In a competitive landscape, the key to sustainable growth is moving from a reactive to a proactive marketing strategy that builds “top of mind awareness” within

One of the most important decisions when starting an urgent care business is whether to own or rent your physical space. At first glance, owning the building might sound like a smart investment. After all, real estate can be a wealth-building tool on its own, and you won’t be paying “rent” to a landlord each

Opening an urgent care center is an exciting business opportunity with high-earning potential for savvy operators. Like any serious investment, success depends on more than just a good location or strong patient demand. You also need a sound financial plan from day zero. If you’re considering whether to open an urgent care, it’s crucial to

AI is a trendy buzzword right now, but it’s also quietly reinventing how urgent care clinics operate. Emerging AI tools give urgent care startups capabilities that used to be reserved for those with larger teams and bigger budgets. From boosting clinical productivity to streamlining front desk operations, strategic AI integrations can help you accomplish more

Visibility can make or break your urgent care business and being seen in your community is, in many ways, more impactful than your online presence. While it’s tempting to focus on easy digital ads and SEO rankings, the truth is many future patients don’t find you online. They remember you from the school fundraiser, the