Health care
BY BROOKE SJOBERG
Urgent care lling role of primary care
Looking forward
To meet patients where they are, Next Level Urgent Care launched Next Level Prime, an employer-sponsored direct primary care program, in 2021. Gillam said she expects reliance on urgent care facilities to become more widespread as fewer medical school graduates are pursuing primary care elds. “More consumers use urgent care and live near urgent cares than ever,” she said. “Awareness of what an urgent care is and what you should use it for really changed during COVID.” David Hu stutler, president and CEO of St. David’s HealthCare, said in a statement urgent care has become an access point for patients seeking timely, a ordable care. “While urgent care should not replace the long-term relationship and preventive bene ts of a primary care provider, these centers help ll a critical gap in the health care system,” he said.
As a shortage of primary care physicians continues in Central Texas, patients are more frequently choosing to use urgent care facilities to meet their health care needs, industry professionals said. April Gillam, chief operating o cer at Next Level Urgent Care and secretary of the Urgent Care Association, said patients are waiting, on average, around 31 days to see a traditional primary care physician. Seeking more immediate access to health care professionals, she said many are turning to urgent care facilities for primary care needs. “We are seeing more of the ‘Hey, I have high blood pressure, and I haven’t been to the doctor in this many years. Can you manage my blood pressure?’” Gillam said. Similarly, St. David’s CareNow urgent care locations are seeing an uptick in demand for services usually associated with primary care.
Primary care shortage State data predicts a 37% shortage in primary care physicians by the year 2036 in Central Texas.
Primary care physician supply
Primary care physician demand
2022
30.8% shortage
2,635
3,808
0 1K2K3K4K5K6K
2036
36.76% shortage
3,381
5,346
0 1K2K3K4K5K6K
SOURCE: TEXAS DEPARTMENT OF STATE HEALTH SERVICES COMMUNITY IMPACT
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