urgent care

The UF Health facility in one of Gainesville's poorest neighborhoods opens after a construction process funded by city, county and federal dollars. More than 12,000 patients are expected annually.

More facilities are partnering with private equity-backed firms to offer combined emergency and urgent care. But patients may not realize prices vary between the two services — often by a lot.

A chain is using its knowledge of how to serve customers and locate shops to enter the health care industry. Experts question how the explosion of convenient clinics will affect care costs and wait times.

AdventHealth emergency departments have seen a 20% increase in patients seeking care for heat-related illnesses this summer, and urgent care locations in the network have seen an increase of 115%.

Concerns at the community meeting included a desire for primary care and mental health care options, and the importance of hiring Black doctors and contractors to manage and build the center.

The many options — particularly urgent care and free-standing ERs — can make the head spin. The wrong choice can mean big bills and even poor outcomes. Facilities have little incentive to clear up the confusion.

Russell Cook expected a quick, inexpensive visit to an urgent care center for his daughter after a car wreck. She wasn't badly hurt, but they were sent to an emergency room — for a much larger bill.

Referrals have become so prevalent that the American Academy of Pediatrics came out with interim guidance for doctors "to provide care for the same variety of visits" practiced prior to the pandemic.

Later this fall, Capital Health Plan will open its new Metro Center Building near the corner of Thomasville Road and Interstate 10.

Struggling with long wait times, the Veterans Affairs Health Care System is trying something new: a partnership with the CVS Pharmacy chain to offer…