Urgent Care: A Case Study

Urgent care practice management needs are unique to other specialty care delivery models in myriad ways, from registration to diagnosing and follow up protocol. Implementing urgent care EMR systems demands an expanded coding library and flexible billing software compared to a cardiology or dermatology practice because the nature of patient services in an urgent care center is primarily driven the patient’s chief complaint. A patient presenting with non-specific lower back pain may have a soft tissue issue injury, advancing osteoarthritis affecting hip joints or pneumonia.
Overcoming unique challenges and capitalizing on financial opportunities to boost revenue generation in urgent care settings is essential today to build and maintain a thriving specialty clinic. Here are three areas that differentiate an EMR specifically designed and built to accommodate urgent care billing and care delivery from other specialty practices.
Reducing Stress by Managing Patient Wait Times
Especially in metropolitan areas, patients are turning to walk-in clinics when they don’t have a primary physician and when their family physician is “too busy” to see them. …show more content…
People in Boston waited more ten weeks to see a dermatologist and family practice visits meant a wait of more than two months, according to a survey conducted by Merritt Hawkins. Conversely, patients concerned about a lesion that suddenly changes size, shapes or colors, can schedule a same day appointment or walk-in to an urgent care clinic and eliminate the stress of waiting for weeks to see a specialists. Urgent care software enables physicians to expedite charting and coding accurately and efficiently to streamline care delivery for diverse conditions and