Urgent Care Center Market - Growth, Trends, Covid-19 Impact, and Forecasts (2023 - 2028)

Urgent Care Center Market - Growth, Trends, Covid-19 Impact, and Forecasts (2023 - 2028)

The Urgent Care Center Market is poised to grow at a CAGR of 5.2% during the forecast period (2022 - 2027).

The outbreak of COVID-19 had been critical, as there had been a significant increase in the number of patients suffering from COVID-19, which is associated with respiratory diseases. The initiatives taken by urgent care for the development of COVID-19 treatment and contribution to the research may be expected to lead to a positive impact on the growth of the market. For instance, in September 2021, Houston urgent care organizations to conduct COVID-19 monoclonal antibody research and return to work safety programs, Next Level Urgent Medical LLC has launched clinical trials on a new study of a potential orally administered, pill-based therapy for COVID-19 infection. Thus, Covid-19 had a significant impact on the growth of the urgent care center market over time.

The factors such as the growing burden of chronic diseases and the geriatric population coupled with the rising number of hospitals entering the urgent care market largely bolster the growth of the market. For instance, According to the British Heart Foundation Global Factsheet published in January 2022, around 550 million people are living with heart and circulatory diseases across the world, and this number has been rising due to changing lifestyles, an aging, and growing population, and improved survival rates from heart attacks and strokes and will continue to rise if these trends continue. It is estimated that globally there are around 290 million women (53%) and 260 million men living with heart and circulatory diseases. Such a high burden of circulatory and heart diseases increases changes of heart failure and strokes and thus drives the growth of the market during the forecast period.

Furthermore, in October 2021, Valiant Clinic & Hospital set up a walk-in urgent care center available 24/7 to its patients seeking convenient access to immediate treatment for sudden ailments and injuries that simply cannot wait for an appointment. It is situated at the heart of Dubai’s City Walk, Valiant’s Urgent Care Centre is a dedicated unit that caters to the needs of its visitors, especially for the residential communities close to its location. Such an increasing number of urgent care establishments by the hospitals are also boosting the growth of the segment.

Thus, owing to the abovementioned factors, the urgent care center market is expected to have a positive growth over the forecast period. However, stringent regulatory infrastructure and a lack of skilled professionals may hamper the growth of the market.

Hospital-owned urgent care centers are urgent care facilities operated in remote areas as an extension of hospitals. This expands hospitals' clinical reach to other regions and coordinates care. As the urgent care centers are growing in a notable phase, hospitals and primary healthcare providers are focusing on entering the urgent care centers market to prevent their patients from leaking away to alternative care. Factors, such as the growing burden the chronic diseases, increasing focus on patient care coupled with a favorable reimbursement environment for the hospital-owned urgent care centers, and ease of market entry compared to other segments, are expected to boost the hospital-owned urgent care center market’s growth.

The growing burden of different diseases is boosting the growth of the market segment For instance, according to the World Health Organization article titled ‘Musculoskeletal Conditions’ updated in February 2021, Approximately 1.71 billion people have musculoskeletal conditions worldwide. The same source reported that globally nearly 436 million include fractures, and 305 million injuries contribute to the overall burden of musculoskeletal diseases.

Additionally, in March 2021, Trinity Health, one of the largest multi-institutional Catholic health care delivery systems in the nation, acquired a majority ownership stake in Premier Health, a recognized national leader in urgent care. The relationship with Premier Health is part of Trinity Health’s strategy to increase access to convenient, local health care services in its current communities as well as in new markets in partnership with other leading health care organizations.

Hence, owing aforementioned factors, the hospital-owned segment is expected to show significant growth over the forecast period.

North America is expected to dominate the overall urgent care center market, throughout the forecast period. This is due to factors such as technological advancements in telemedicine and the adaptation of such technologies by urgent care providers to strengthen their services, coupled with the rising prevalence of chronic diseases and high public and private healthcare spending, and the establishment of urgent care centers are expected to propel the growth of the market in the region.

Additionally, the growing burden of various emergency conditions such as accidents, and sports injuries are contributing to the increasing number of visits to urgent care and thus drives the growth of the market in the nation. For instance, according to the National Safety Council (NSC), in 2020, bicycling accounted for about 426,000 injuries, the most of any category of sports and recreation. Exercise, with or without equipment, is followed by about 378,000 injuries. The same source reported that in United States, off-highway vehicles in 2019 account for 96,000 injuries, and in 2020 it reached 112,300 injuries. Such an increasing number of injuries in United States are majorly contributing to the growth of the market.

Furthermore, with the increased footfall in urgent care due to these injuries, there are lots of strategic initiatives taken by the organization to enter the market or strengthen its position in the market. For Instance, in February 2022, CRH Healthcare (CRH) partnered with Adventist HealthCare (AHC) and acquired their three Urgent Care centers in Germantown, Rockville, and Laurel, Maryland. All three centers have established themselves as leaders in their communities with experienced providers and support staff serving the walk-in urgent care needs of patients in the area as well as employers’ occupational healthcare needs. The partnership begins February 1, 2022, and will include having the centers join the One Health Quality Alliance, Adventists HealthCare’s clinically integrated network, which focuses on the coordination and quality of care across the healthcare continuum.

Thus, owing to the abovementioned factors, the urgent care center is expected to project growth over the forecast period.

The urgent care center market is fairly competitive and market players are using strategies such as acquisitions and expanding the offerings to strengthen the market share. Some of the major market players are Concentra, Inc, MedExpress, NextCare Holdings, Inc, and St Joseph's Health Care London.

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