While healthcare has been traditionally dominated by hospitals and emergency rooms, that is changing. Demand for private healthcare options is steadily on the rise. For both minor and major ailments and injuries, people are trending away from emergency rooms — with  their long lines and high costs — and toward more convenient alternatives. Urgent care franchises like American Family Care are more efficient and affordable, and they’re playing a vital role in helping alleviate the pressure on crowded emergency rooms.

 

Growing Industry

The first step in knowing whether an urgent care franchise is right for you is researching the industry and educating yourself on its projected future. Luckily, the healthcare industry’s strength and growth has been on the rise, and it doesn’t look to be slowing down. Since their inception in the 1970s, urgent care clinics have now exceeded 10,000 locations, and revenue per clinic is expected to increase to around $1.7 million through 2020. Private healthcare franchises have the benefit of being more easily able to create relationships with our patients, and build trust with our brand, regardless of which location they visit. Even more encouraging, the healthcare industry as a whole is experiencing a surplus of qualified talent, so you’ll never have to worry about lacking qualified physicians and other staff.

The ER Alternative

According to a 2009 study, up to 29% of all emergency room visits were unnecessary and could instead be handled by an urgent care clinic. It didn’t take the public long to catch on. American Family Care franchises are open 7 days a week with extended hours, so patients truly don’t have to visit the ER unless they absolutely have to. Many ailments commonly treated (at great expense) in the ER can actually be covered by an urgent care clinic for a far more affordable price. Apart from life-threatening emergencies and catastrophic illnesses, urgent care clinics can treat most common ailments. Check out this list for a more thorough account of what should be treated by urgent care clinics vs. emergency rooms.

Filling the Market Gap

For years, emergency rooms have been crippled by long lines and slow service, and Americans are getting impatient. There are simply too many people visiting the ER, and not enough space to accommodate them. Urgent care helps alleviate the strain on emergency rooms, providing quick service to patients in need and decongesting emergency rooms. The convenience and low costs of urgent care franchises make us a trusted and convenient alternative to the ER. Entrepreneurial doctors, healthcare professionals, and businesspeople have recognized the problems associated with emergency rooms, and capitalized on the gap in the market. For this reason, revenue in the urgent care industry is expected to reach over $30 billion by 2020, at a growth rate of 3.8 percent.

To learn more about  urgent care franchise opportunities with AFC, fill out our contact form.