With a revolutionary high-tech, high-touch approach to health care for the modern family, Immediate Clinic, a local urgent care chain, has expanded with a new clinic in Bellevue, the seventh in the greater Seattle area. The Seattle-based urgent care chain aims to aggressively expand in Seattle and Washington to fulfill the healthcare needs of the high-tech, on-the-go, “modern family” of the Northwest.
High-Tech Health Care for the Modern Family
Immediate Clinic is different from other urgent cares because of its sleek centers with bright colors and large, inviting reception areas, flat screen TVs in the reception area and in every waiting room, Wi-Fi and loaner i-Pads so patients stay entertained and connected. On Immediate Clinic’s new website, customers can check out patient volumes in area clinics and book an appointment so when they arrive for treatment they have little to no wait. The high-tech approach doesn’t replace the high-touch care of passionate doctors and providers at every center who are monitored with patient surveys to ensure top notch care.
“Our approach to health care is so different, yet so successful, because we truly understand and cater to busy patients who want quick, affordable, quality care in a modern facility that allows them to stay connected to the outside world,“ says Jeromy Sjolseth, Director of Operations of Immediate Clinic centers. “We’re replacing the fish tank in the lobby with high-tech equipment for the family on-the-go. Plus, we’ve eliminated the long waits, outdated equipment, high co-pays and staggering cash pay fees of the traditional emergency room, while at the same time keeping the highest level of care.”
Making Health Care History
In 2012, leaders hand-picked the hip, high-tech Emerald City to test market this new concept in urgent care. The Seattle area did not have established regional urgent care chains, so the company broke new medical ground, opening six clinics in the Seattle area, under a different name. The chain of urgent care clinics, now called Immediate Clinic, was so successful that after the Bellevue opening, Immediate Clinic plans to open another 10 locations in greater Seattle by the end of 2014.
For thousands in our area, the new family provider is the physician or health care professional at our urgent cares,” says Sjolseth. “Patients are turning to urgent care as the prescription for their medical needs for many reasons; the crisis in the ER, the shortage of primary care physicians, and long wait times to see a doctor or get an appointment. We’re giving families a solution and Seattle is embracing it as we continue to grow.”
The Urgency for Urgent Care
(Urgent Care Association of America)
Nationally, 700-800 new urgent care centers open every year
Each week, 3 million patients visit an urgent care
Health care experts predict urgent care growth will continue at the rate of
6 percent each year
What’s Causing the Explosion of Urgent Cares?
· Crisis in the ER
Ø At least half of all hospitals nationwide have started to charge upfront fees in the emergency room that can run several hundred dollars for a non-critical condition, such as a sore throat or cough. Hospitals have an extremely high overhead that is necessary to provide their services. Also, since they are required to treat everyone who comes to the emergency department, hospitals are forced to cost shift to help cover patients who are not able to pay (Kaiser Health News).
Ø An ambulance is turned away every 60 seconds in this country because emergency rooms are too full to accept another patient (Institute of Medicine).
Ø 84 percent of ER visits are not actual emergencies and could be handled in a more appropriate setting such as an urgent care (according to a 2008 study by Akron General Medical Center).
· Wait Times To Get Care
Ø The American Medical Association reports it takes an average of 28 days to get an appointment with an internist and 30 days to get an appointment with a specialist.
Ø The average wait in the ER is 4 hours and 5 minutes (2010 Emergency Department Pulse Report).
Ø In a 2010 survey, 20 percent of those polled say they waited to see a doctor six or more days when they were sick (2010 Health Policy Survey).
· Lack of Insurance
Ø Nearly 46 million Americans have no insurance (1/6 of the population) and 25 million more are underinsured. Many don’t have a family physician and need a place to go when they’re sick.
· Shortage of Primary Care Physicians
Ø A 2011 Department of Health and Human Services report says 66 million (1/5 of the population) are living in an area with a shortage of primary health professionals.
Ø The report also says by 2020, there will be 45,000 fewer primary care physicians.
· Cost
Ø In another recent survey, nearly half of all consumers say they have chosen to go without care once this past year because of the cost (2011 survey, Price Waterhouse Coopers).
Ø The cost for treatment at an urgent care is usually a fraction of the cost of care at a hospital.
About Immediate Clinic
Immediate Clinic is a unique group of urgent care medical facilities in greater Seattle, opened in response to a growing need for immediate, affordable medical provider care in a convenient, comfortable environment. Our mission is to treat every patient with respect and compassion, and to serve our communities by providing the highest quality medical care. With six centers already open and a seventh center which opened in Bellevue this month, Immediate Clinic is rapidly expanding throughout Seattle and Washington state. 2014 will see approximately ten additional Immediate Clinic openings.