Top Urgent Care Centers in the US – Location Analysis

Health care spending in the US has escalated to 17.9% of the gross domestic product in 2020 and will continue to climb. Urgent care centers have experienced rapid growth across the US by providing convenience, high quality, and affordable health care access to millions of people each year.

We analyzed the locations of the top urgent care centers operating under Concentra, MedExpress, American Family Care, NextCare, Tenet Health, FastMed, Aurora, and Ascension Health. 

What are Urgent Care Centers

Urgent cares are convenient, on-demand care outlets similar to walk-in retail clinics, but rather than treating acute conditions such as bronchitis and minor infections, urgent care clinics are equipped to treat more serious ailments, including fractures, sprains, and wounds. It is similar to retail health clinics operated by Walgreens, CVS, and Walmart in that they are open daily and on weekends to treat routine health needs and generally offer a board-certified physician. They make health care accessible by placing centers in locations where people work, shop, and live and are more affordable than a visit to the emergency room.

With the Covid-19 pandemic, hospital emergency rooms are busy places, understaffed and overburdened by severe cases that require immediate attention. The urgent care market is expected to be worth $28 billion, and coronavirus care is likely to add growth as Americans are seeking Covid-19 tests more than ever at urgent care centers.

How many Urgent Care Centers are in the US

We analyzed a total of 1,470 urgent care centers from 8 health operators in the US. Concentra is the largest urgent care provider with 518 locations in 41 states. Followed by MedExpress (286) and NextCare (138).

Urgent care clinics aren’t necessarily run by traditional hospitals or health systems. Being smaller than your typical hospital, they have the ability to adapt to newer technologies faster and more efficiently. This includes video conferencing, digital records, and patient portals – all of which cater to individualized medical data ownership and provide an enriched patient experience. 

Concentra Urgent Care

There are 518 Concentra Urgent Care Centers operating in 41 states in the US. Texas (22), Colorado (21), and Illinois (16) are the states with the most number of clinics. 

More than 90% of Concentra urgent cares provide occupational health services, physical and injury therapy, drug screening, and physicals. Concentra also provides workers compensation at all its locations. 

MedExpress Urgent Care

There are 286 MedExpress Urgent Care Centers across 21 states in the US. Pennsylvania (57), West Virginia (29), and Florida (28) are the states with the most number of clinics. 

MedExpress is an urgent care that provides immediate walk-in treatment for illnesses, injuries, wellness exams, and employer health services. They also provide virtual visits for patients unable to travel in the midst of the Covid-19 pandemic. MedExpress urgent care growth is upto 70% with more than 250 centers over the last five years.

American Family Urgent Care

There are 184 American Family Urgent Care Centers across 27 states in the US. Massachusetts (21), South Carolina (15), and New Jersey (15) are the states with the most number of urgent care clinics.

NextCare Urgent Care

There are 138 NextCare Urgent Care Centers located in 10 states in the US. Arizona (43), Texas (40), and Oklahoma (23) are the states with the most number of clinics. 

NextCare provides basic urgent care services along with other retail clinic services such as lab testings, immunizations, and pediatrics. The company also administers a wide network of quality healthcare providers at an optimal cost.

Tenet Health Urgent Care

Tenet Health operates Urgent Care Centers in 105 locations across 9 states. Florida (42), Texas (23), and California (17) are the states with the most number of Tenet Health Urgent clinics. 

FastMed Urgent Care

There are 104 FastMed Urgent Care Centers in the US. FastMed care centers are located in only 3 states – North Carolina (55), Arizona (29), and Texas (19).

FastMed urgent care clinics provide a wide variety of services. More than 80% of FastMed centers offer digital x-rays, physicals, and lab tests. Although FastMed is only present in three states, its advanced in providing services such as sports medicine, women’s health, and family medicine.  

Ascension Health Urgent Care

There are 99 Ascension Urgent Care Clinics present in 10 states in the US. Wisconsin (28), Indiana (15), and Florida (13) are the states with the most number of centers. Ascension Health is one of the largest health care systems in the US with more than 2,000 locations.

Aurora Urgent Care

There are 36 Aurora Urgent Care Centers in the US. Aurora Health Care is a not-for-profit health care system headquartered in Milwaukee and is serving 795 locations in eastern Wisconsin.

Top States with most Urgent Care Centers

Texas has the most number of urgent care centers with 170 locations, followed by are California (129) and Florida (124). The majority of urgent care clinics operate in the southern and Midwestern states.

Montana, South Dakota, North Dakota, and Idaho do not have urgent care centers. 

Impact of Covid on Urgent Care Clinics

Many health systems have exited the retail clinic business in favor of urgent care. Patients have more options to sort through with urgent care when choosing the appropriate option to match their issue. Having access to healthcare services, direct connection to multiple doctors, and individualized care is important for younger generations who only go to clinics on an as-needed basis. Even Amazon is opening health care clinics for its warehouse workers and families and has expanded its telemedicine program Amazon Care along with its own pharmacy service.

Urgent Cares are now offering more than basic services. Some clinics such as NextCare are going as far as offering their own insurance, physical therapy programs, and personalized care. This will pave the way for diversified, modern medicine in cities and rural communities and will give patients the power to choose what works best for them, on their own time and at a competitive price. While large hospitals will always have a place, urgent care clinics are running at a pace that matches a younger, more adaptable crowd who are looking for leaner processes when it comes to owning their health.

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