Two Military Men Open Tucson Urgent Care Center

The deserts of Iraq and Afghanistan might not sound like inspiring places, but two medical professionals found plenty of motivation there, and took their gumption to another desert — Tucson, Ariz. — where they recently opened an urgent care facility.

David Orringer, MD, a surgeon, and Davidson Hall, a physician assistant, this spring opened Velo Med Urgent Care, a 4,400 square-foot facility.

Orringer and Hall had similar backgrounds in the military, but didn’t meet until they practiced at an immediate care center in Tucson. The men recognized a shortage of primary care physicians and emergency rooms in the Tucson area, and thought that opening their own clinic could be a good solution.

Their center has 16 employees, five exam rooms, an X-ray suite, a lab, a pharmacy and a room for minor surgical procedures.

The toughest part of starting an urgent care center is to balance the budget, Orringer said.

“Essentially, we are taking from our past experiences working in urgent care centers, and trying to create a place that builds upon the good, and eliminates the bad,” Orringer said. “We have a ‘spare no expense’ philosophy with regard to equipment, and wanted to make it a phenomenal atmosphere in which to work.

“As we prepare to pay our bills, we must remember to keep everything within our budget,” he added. “Urgent care centers start out slowly with regard to patient numbers, and need to keep this in mind when setting up the center.”

Also of paramount importance is finding the right staff. Orringer said he and Hall have been lucky because they’ve only had to replace two staff members so far.

“Unfortunately, one was our clinic manager, who was not the correct fit for an urgent care center,” Orringer said. “Our current clinic manager totally ‘gets it.’ She knows our vision for Velo Med, and works with great diligence and skill to help us achieve our dream.”

One of the best parts of running your own center is just that: it’s “yours.”

“We are able to staff it the way we want, set policies in accordance to our beliefs, and keep materials and equipment that match our specific goals,” Orringer said. “We had fun with the building design, too.”

Fun? At work?

And it doesn’t stop there. Orringer and Hall also feel satisfaction. That satisfaction comes from working in an industry that helps people.

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