The demand continues to increase for comprehensive and convenient health care, which supports the need for urgent care franchise opportunities. In fact, franchises in the healthcare sector have fast become an affordable and alternative option to traditional hospital emergency rooms. Here are six reasons why you should consider the potential of your own franchise:
1 – Continued Growth Potential
The Urgent Care Association of America stated in 2015 that there were over 7,100 urgent care facilities already in operation in the United States. A survey conducted by the UCAOA that same year revealed that 87% of the owners of urgent care facilities had expended to a second clinic in 2014. Plus, 91% of those who answered the survey said they expected to expand their services even further.
2 – Traditional Means Feeding The Growth
The growth in the urgent care industry has come from – and continues to come from – the places we all used to go for assistance. With emergency room facility numbers dropping by 9% between 1994 and 2004 in the United States, and stats showing one million more ER visits per year, a problem exists. What results in long wait times in over saturated ERs has pushed for a different care model for non-emergency treatment.
3 – Feeding The Economy
Urgent care franchise facilities are expected to carry a total value of over $18-billion by the end of 2017. Plus, the industry is showing growth figures of 5.8% annually (2016-2018 projections) which means along with growth potential comes job creation. Add to that the other economic benefits that come from the overall growth in the urgent care industry and it isn’t hard to see how this can produce a win/win combination.
4 – Reaching People Where They Go
Surveys conducted by the UCAOA show that the best location for an urgent care franchise is in a shopping center or strip mall. The success of these locations comes from the fact that they are in convenient locations – in places where people tend to go. These locations are also centrally located for maximum exposure. Freestanding buildings, multi-use buildings and medical offices are the next best locations.
5 – Traffic Flow Is Steady In An Urgent Care Franchise Facility
Urgent care clinics treated an average of 357 patients per week. That figure came from a survey conducted in 2012. This totals well over 160-million visits in a year to all urgent care centers. An updated survey conducted in 2015 showed that 89% of those who responded to the survey reported an increase in the number of patient visits they had recorded in previous years.
6 – Franchise Owners Don’t Have To Be Doctors
One interesting fact about urgent care franchise operation is that only doctors can practice medicine, not corporations. So, a franchisee can own a clinic and employ the doctors as doctors do not need to own the urgent care clinic they practice medicine from.
It Comes Down To Supply And Demand
The demand for urgent care will continue as our population ages. This makes for a strong argument for growth in the urgent care industry. Franchise outlets make it easy to tap into this system with guaranteed growth potential.