By Eric Brooks


The number of urgent care facilities grew by fourteen percent according to statistical data released by AACUM. This growth continued steadily since 2008 and is probably to continue. The US has about 9300 of these units and the number continues to swell annually. It is determined that 300 are established annually since 2011. Mobile Alabama urgent care centers have been growing steadily in number throughout the years. This trend is expected to continue growing into the foreseeable future.

The modern economy highly supports urgent care centers. Growth of some kind was observed in 83 percent of all facilities in the recent past. Eighty-eight percent of all facilities expanded their operations by setting up a new facility in a new place. Successfully setting up and running a facility of this kind requires considering certain factors, which are discussed in the paragraphs that follow.

The first step one should take in establishing an urgent care center is to choose a specialty. Offering specialized care offers the business a competitive advantage. Most professionals working in most of these centers have training in emergency, internal, and family medicine. Making a choice of what kind of medical services will be provided to patients is important. Next, the necessary equipment and staff should be equipped into the facility to start operations.

Once the specialty has been chosen, the next decision one has to make relates to the location. The location should not have many similar facilities already operating in it, and the population should be high. Residents should have employment and reliable sources of income to be able to pay for the medical services offered.

Before settling for a given location, it is important to analyze its market and demographic characteristics. Information related to the population such as its characteristics can be provided by local census agencies. If one finds the demographics and market to be suitable, they should go ahead to find space to set up the center inside.

When selecting space, it is important to ensure that it is only enough for the operations it is intended for. Choosing space that is too big for the facility will obviously result in cost overruns, lost profits, and underutilized space. Common recommendation is to plan for 1500 square feet for every physician in the center. This would allow each physician to have three exam rooms.

Besides the area that is put aside for physicians, more room needs to be set aside for radiology, reception, and laboratories. Minimization of movement of physicians and staff should be incorporated into the design. Patient flow needs to be maximized while reducing clutter.

The design should have the comfort, convenience, and peace of mind of the patients as priority. Additionally, the environment should be warm, less clinical, and welcoming. Incorporating facilities such as free Wi-Fi, coffee stations, accessible electrical outlets, flat-screens, and fish tanks can greatly enhance patient experience. More people will be attracted to the facility if the building has big windows and good signage outside.




About the Author:



Axact

Money Making

I am passionate about educating university students about money and careers, and have been doing so since 2007. I see the same confusion and mistakes being replicated every year. The way I help is through Save the Student. I'm always on the look out for new contributors, so get in touch if you're wanting to get involved! Aside from the site, my main interests are travelling, writing, photography, webdesign, sailing, football and cycling.

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