How to Start an Urgent Care Center
Urgent care centers are one of the fastest-growing medical facilities in the United States due to the public's demand for convenient access to medical care and services at all times. These care centers are intended to address injuries and illnesses that require timely treatment but do not constitute an emergency. Most urgent care centers are operated by physicians or as an extension of hospitals, but non-physicians have also succeeded in starting urgent care centers, which is allowed in most states.
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Instructions
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Make sure you are qualified in your state to run an urgent care center. You must be a physician to run an urgent care center in California, Colorado, Iowa, Illinois, New York, New Jersey, Ohio and Texas. Arizona requires an urgent care license.
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Decide how you want to run your urgent care center. You could work as a physician operating a private practice, or you could strike up a business relationship with a nearby hospital. If you don't have an excess of hundreds of thousands of dollars in startup capital, exploring a relationship with a hospital--which will require less initial money--may be the better option.
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Develop a business plan. Describe the community you will serve, which should consist of at least 40,000-50,000 people who do not already have an urgent care center available to them. Outline any business relationship you have with a hospital, including how they will provide staffing, financial assistance and/or supplies and equipment. Specify how much money you need for your startup and how much income you expect to draw in each of the first five years.
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Find a location. It should stand on its own and be easy to get to from a number of locations, and it is best for it to be freestanding.
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Choose the services you will offer. Because an emergency room is likely an option for sick and injured people, you do not need to offer quite a wide array of services, but you should select a set that will draw enough business to keep you afloat. You should be set up to provide physicals and drug screenings, general examinations and be able to work on various minor injuries, such as minor burns and sprains.
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Market your business. Offer quicker, cheaper service than the hospital can provide. Put your ad in newspapers, on the radio, on billboards and in direct mailings.
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References
- Photo Credit Hammer51012 on Flickr
