Concentra Adds Urgent Care Service to 320 Clinics

ADDISON, Texas — Concentra Inc. has been adding urgent care services to 320 of its 323 public health centers nationwide since March, and recently completed the expansion.

Concentra is a national healthcare company that operates 264 occupational health clinics at employer locations, and 323 occupational health centers that are open to the public.

320 of the 323 public health centers now offer urgent care services that range from basic to comprehensive. The facilities are in 40 states.

Concentra Urgent Care facilities treat conditions common to urgent cares including allergies, skin conditions, fractures, sprains and colds. The business also offers exams, physical therapy and diagnostic tests.

Concentra has about 14,000 employer customers and hosts 30,000 patients a day. Eventually, the 264 occupational sites will offer urgent care services too, but will not be open to the public, said John deLorimier, a Concentra spokesperson.

The shift to urgent care is partly to keep costs down for employers, and to sate members of focus groups who have said they want better access to urgent care, deLorimier said.

“We started asking about healthcare in general (and found) that the state of getting medical services is really quite annoying for most folks,” he said.

The main changes in the shift toward urgent care centered around hours, equipment, people and culture.

“Change is always hard and when you’re the leading provider of occupation medicine and that’s what you’ve created your brand around, it’s an effort,” deLorimier said. “It was an effort but people are on board and that’s always the key. Now we have to make sure that the services we provide are what people expect.

“For any healthcare provider it’s hard work to transform a medical practice to more of a medical retail practice,” he added. “I want Concentra to be (as well) known as Southwest Airlines or Starbucks and have that consumer experience be more than just a medical experience.”

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