The opening of an urgent care center in Cherry Hill, N.J. by Lourdes Health System is the latest example of the trend by hospitals to deliver less costly, community-based urgent care to patients, according to an article on the NJBiz website.

The move is about providing the appropriate level of care and making access to care both convenient and economical for patients, Kimberly Barnes, vice president of planning and development for Camden-based Lourdes Health System, said in the article.

A 2012 survey by the American Hospital Association found that, at that time, at least 36 New Jersey hospitals reported operating some form of urgent care center.

The urgent care trend “is one that’s taking hold in New Jersey and nationally. It’s an extension of the overall integration of health care services spanning the full continuum of care. Hospitals today aren’t simply taking care of inpatients within their four walls. They’re also operating in other settings such as nursing homes, home health, primary care and now urgent care centers,” said Kerry McKean Kelly, spokeswoman for the New Jersey Hospital Association.

“The hospital emergency department is one of the most expensive settings to provide health care services, and the waits can sometimes be long," Kelly said in the article.

Read the article.