Several Chicago-area health systems are entering the urgent care arena and shaking up private players that have dominated the local market, according to an article on the Crain's Chicago Business website.
More hospitals are looking to drum up business through urgent care as
visits to urgent care centers increased 19 percent from 2010 to 2015, according to a recent study.
Right now, Chicago has 37 immediate care clinics, more than double eight years ago. All but nine are private.
Hospital systems are now racing to grab desirable locations near what industry consultant Thomas Charland calls "the slam-dunk": dual-income parents with children who can't disrupt their entire day to finagle a pediatrician appointment for a sick kid, the article said.
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