Introduction
The number of urgent care centers has increased rapidly all over the country. This growth has predominantly been fueled by public demands for timely and convenient access to quality medical attention. Urgent care centers are usually not located in hospitals, and they offer care for non-emergency injuries and illnesses that still need timely treatments.
Hospitals or physicians usually start urgent care centers. There are some cases of non-physician entrepreneurs who have started urgent care centers with great success, but they are definitely the exception.
If you are considering starting an urgent care center, the following suggestions will help – but keep in mind that this list of ideas is certainly not complete. An urgent care building planner usually takes the following into consideration:
- Business Plan
Writing a business plan initially is imperative. You should spend a significant amount of time considering all the different issues and expenses that are involved before diving further into this process.
- Decide on Model
You need to decide if your urgent care center is going to be a physician-owned practice, a joint venture with a hospital, or an addition to a successful local chain of urgent care centers.
- Choose a Location for your urgent care center
Finding the ideal location for your urgent care center can be difficult, but it is a very important part of the planning phase. You will want to be located in a community that will support your business and allow your clinic to flourish.
- Select the Services to Offer to the community
If you wish to be successful, you must have coveted services to offer potential patients. It’s important that the community surrounding your clinic is aware of and receptive to the amenities available.
- Market the Urgent Care Center
This process should begin as soon as, if not before, the start of construction. The public needs to be aware of the facility that will soon enhance its community. The more widespread the clinic’s awareness is, the more patients will arrive to take advantage of its services.
- Select Quality EMR Software
It is very important to find software, which will make the operations of your urgent care center much more efficient, as well as successful.
- Make sure to Network with Experts
The experts that you network with have to have experience in starting an urgent care center. They can help you avoid many of the common pitfalls that are involved with the starting of an urgent care center.
- Work Hard
If you are successfully going to start your own urgent care center, it is essential that you are willing to work hard and work very long hours.
Reference: Stern, David. MD CPC. How to Start an Urgent Care Center Retrieved December, 2011, from http://david-stern-md-cpc.wrytestuff.com/swa77353.htm http://www.kaweahdelta.org/services/uc.asp http://www.urgentcareofpapillion.com/
