Urgent care is no longer just a convenient alternative to the ER. It's quickly becoming a frontline solution for everyday health needs.
At the 17th Annual Symposium for urgent care executives, CEOs from American Family Care, Exer Urgent Care, and Community Care Partners – together overseeing more than 6 million patient visits annually – shared how they’re thinking about growth, competition, and the evolving role of urgent care in a changing healthcare system.
Across the board, one message was clear: the operators who thrive in the next chapter will be those who stay consumer-first, embrace new care models, and build the right partnerships.
Here are the five signals they’re watching most closely:
1. How is urgent care shifting from “sick care” to everyday health?
Urgent care’s traditional role isn’t going away. But what patients want from your clinic is changing.
Consumers now expect easier access to preventive services, wellness visits, and even chronic care support. That might mean walk-in screenings, vaccinations, physicals, or just faster digital scheduling for routine care.
For operators, this shift opens the door to stronger patient retention and recurring visit volume outside of flu season.
Action step: Audit your current service mix. Could you layer in wellness screenings, vaccines, or chronic care check-ins? Pair those with digital-first features (like online booking or automated reminders) to meet patients where they are, before they get sick.
2. Why does scale matter for urgent care payer negotiations?
Independent urgent cares continue to face tough odds when negotiating with payers, often getting lower rates or dealing with denials compared to hospital-affiliated centers.
Payers are pushing for efficiency, outcomes, and lower total cost of care. Scale helps, but so does storytelling. And that story must be rooted in data: outcomes, referral patterns, and patient satisfaction.
Crucially, scale doesn’t have to mean selling or merging. Strategic partnerships, tech alliances, or quality networks can help smaller operators punch above their weight.
Action step: Start measuring and standardizing referral volume, visit outcomes, and care coordination metrics. These data points can strengthen your contracting conversations. Explore collaborative networks that expand your influence without giving up independence.
3. Why is self-pay accelerating in urgent care?
Several trends are converging to make cash-pay more important than ever.
- Nearly 60% of U.S. workers are on high-deductible health plans.
- Consumer expectations for transparency and convenience have never been higher
- Self-funded employers are exploring direct-to-provider relationships to control costs.
- New demand drivers, like GLP-1 medications, are bringing more patients willing to pay out-of-pocket.
Patients are already behaving like retail consumers, and they expect urgent care to make paying just as easy as booking.
Action step: Post clear pricing online. Offer card-on-file and text-to-pay options at the point of service. And if you haven’t already, start building relationships with local employers who are ready to bypass traditional networks in favor of convenience and transparency.
4. How can AI act as a care coordinator in urgent care?
In urgent care, AI is poised to act as a digital care coordinator that connects clinical, operational, and financial workflows in real time.
The CEOs on stage talked about AI as a care coordinator that can:
- Route patients to the most appropriate next step
- Close referral loops
- Support documentation and billing
- Identify care gaps or follow-up needs
- Improve throughput without burning out staff
These functions not only boost efficiency, they strengthen urgent care’s position in the broader healthcare ecosystem by helping clinics demonstrate downstream value.
Action step: Start small. Whether it’s AI-assisted intake, insurance verification, or payment estimation, pick one friction point and solve it. Use clear ROI benchmarks (like reduced wait time or improved collection rates) to expand AI’s role with confidence.
Want to see how leading urgent care operators are preparing for the future? Request a demo with Solv to explore solutions that improve patient access while reducing admin work for your team.
5. How can urgent care solve the seasonality problem?
Respiratory season still dominates urgent care volumes, but what happens between March and October?
Post-COVID normalization has exposed just how volatile urgent care demand can be throughout the year. Smart operators are finding ways to flatten the curve by expanding into Occupational Medicine, DOT physicals, preventative care, community-based services.
The right services not only drive year-round volume – they diversify revenue streams and help buffer against payer shifts.
Action step: Pick 1–2 service lines that align with your patient base, staffing model, and local employer needs. Test them now to stabilize off-season performance heading into 2026.
Bonus Signal: Why emotional connection matters
Beyond speed, price, and convenience, patient loyalty often comes from how easy and stress-free the care experience feels.
Price, convenience, and access matter, but what keeps patients coming back is the relief they feel when care is simple, human, and stress-free.
Operators that invest in small, meaningful touches – a follow-up text, a kind front desk, a clear discharge plan – are winning patient loyalty that no Google ad can buy.
Action step:
Look for one small way to make care more human this month. Consider texting patients after visits, asking for feedback, or training staff on handling high-emotion moments. Loyalty starts with trust
What defines the future of urgent care ?
Urgent care is becoming more than an episodic, after-hours solution. It’s emerging as a central access point for everyday healthcare.
The clinics that succeed won’t be the biggest. They’ll be the most adaptable. The most thoughtful. The most in tune with what patients want next.
FAQ: Future of Urgent Care
Q1: Will urgent care replace primary care?
No, but urgent care will increasingly complement primary care by offering convenient access, preventive services, and chronic condition support.
Q2: How will AI impact urgent care staffing?
AI is not expected to replace clinicians. Instead, it will reduce administrative burden, improve patient routing, and enhance referral management.
Q3: What services can help urgent care manage seasonal volume dips?
Employer services (occupational health, DOT/INS physicals), vaccinations, and wellness screenings can provide recurring, year-round volume.
Q4: Why are employers influencing urgent care strategy?
Employers are adopting reference-based pricing and direct-to-provider partnerships, creating opportunities for urgent care to secure steady patient streams.
Q5: How can urgent care centers improve payer negotiations?
By strengthening quality and referral data, pursuing alliances that expand scale, and demonstrating their role in lowering total cost of care.
