Introduction
After-hours clinics and urgent care centers are essential healthcare providers for city residents. Such clinics are usually available in the evenings, holidays, and weekends, when other healthcare clinics are closed. The main task of that centers is to provide top-quality treatment when the primary physician’s centers are closed. The main feature of urgent care centers is that they provide cheaper care than traditional hospital emergency rooms. However, this market is extensively overrepresented in the US. According to Statista (2021), there were more than 9000 urgent care centers in the US in 2019. To attract customers, the centers should have well-defined managerial strategies. The two most fundamental suggestions are the proper choice of location and extensive presence on the Internet.
Possible Solutions for the Attraction and Retainment of Customers
The earliest decisions of urgent care centers are critical to continued success. The main thing is that such centers should analyze the possible location of the center. As Ginter et al. (2018) argue, “the location of the health care provider will impact the number of people who seek its services” (p. 330). It is especially important for urgent care centers that want to open in metropolitan areas. Because of the significant competition, the centers need to find a place close to residents’ homes and will suit the demand of the particular region. In particular, the center’s managers should conduct demographic research of the region’s population where the healthcare center wants to open (Ginter et al., 2018).
This measure will help understand whether hypothetical future clients need additional infrastructure to provide after-hour medical care. It will also clarify the proportion of minorities in the total population of the region. For example, if the region has a large Hispanic population, the health center should hire staff who can speak Spanish. In other words, the healthcare strategic managers should provide healthcare equity and cultural competencies to their center.
Another suggestion is to put a lot of effort into the presence of the urgent care center on the Internet. Nowadays, it is the most effective method to improve healthcare center’s recognition in the local metropolitan communities and retain customers. First of all, the urgent care center should create an easy-to-use website that will provide all the necessary information about the location, opening hours, prices, and so forth. The most important here is to add the tool for creating an online appointment with a physician and make the site mobile optimized. Secondly, the urgent care center should consult with an IT specialist to help the medical center become more in demand on the Internet.
The reason is that it is common practice when people search in the Google phrases like “Urgent care centers near me.” The managers should ensure that their clinic will be located at the top of searching results. Finally, urgent care centers should pay attention to social media. It will be beneficial to create Instagram and Facebook accounts where the urgent care center will update patients about the offers and new technologies.
Conclusion
All in all, urgent care centers and after-hours clinics need to conduct extensive planning before opening in the city area. The increasing competition and differentiating people’s preferences and demands are the factors that navigate healthcare providers in that field. The first suggestion is to analyze the demand and demographic sides of the region carefully. The second suggestion is to focus on positive Internet image through creating the website and accounts on social media.
References
Ginter, P. M., Duncan, W. J., & Swayne, L. E. (2018). The strategic management of health care organizations. John Wiley & Sons.
Statista. (2021). Number of urgent care centers in the U.S. from 2013 to 2019. Web.