This Month In FL Urgent Care News - March 2023

Keep up with the latest urgent care news and insights from the industry's trusted legal partner, Ged Lawyers. Here is an overview of the most critical stories in the urgent care field in the state of Florida.

This Month in Florida Urgent Care 

1) Recently-Opened UF Health Jacksonville Combines an Emergency Room and Urgent Care Clinic in One Facility

UF Health Jacksonville has gone all in  on "24/7 hybrid emergency and critical care centers." The first of three facilities that combine an urgent care clinic and an emergency room in a single space recently opened, with the goal of helping patients choose the right type of care and save money. 

These three hybrid facilities are a partnership between UF Health and Intuitive Health, a system that combines emergency rooms and urgent care so that patients can travel to one place and be referred appropriately. ER doctor Jay Woody, MD, created the combined system after seeing patients charged high fees to be seen at emergency rooms when their minor illnesses or injuries could have been better served in urgent care clinics. 

"Intuitive Health’s dual model combines both ER and urgent care under one roof. How does this benefit the patient? Patients can access both in a single facility by creating a hybrid retail healthcare model. It eliminates the need to choose and provides convenient, quality care, fair billing, and a positive customer service experience," notes Mayer Najem. 

Industry Updates 

1) Combining Traditional, Alternative, and Virtual Facilities, Hybrid Healthcare Programs May Be the Way of the Future 

(Image Courtesy of the American Hospital Association)

As retail urgent care players claim more space in the healthcare market, a new model is emerging: one that combines in-person, virtual, and retail clinical visits. 

In a recent Deloitte survey, patients who used telehealth options cited their improved convenience and cost as key benefits. Pete Lyons, the national life sciences sector leader at Deloitte, suggests that this trend might be driving a new one: a model allowing patients to seek care in traditional, virtual, or retail settings. 

"For this model to reach its potential, traditional healthcare stakeholders will need to work more closely with retailers, tech companies, and other nontraditional players," argues the American Hospital Association.

2) Staffing Shortages and Temporary Workers Means Clinicians Will Need to Reassess in 2023 

Though pandemic restrictions have been lifted, some of the healthcare trends that originated during this period will continue into 2023. In particular, permanent staff shortages, especially nursing shortages, will continue to be exacerbated by turnover and burnout. 

In particular, elevated traveling nurse pay drove permanent nursing staff instability. In January 2020, the average weekly pay for a traveling nurse was $1,894; in December 2022, it was $3,173. In turn, demand for contract labor will remain high this year, at about 60 percent above 2019 rates. 

In response to high pay for traveling nurses, health systems are reassessing compensation for full-time employees. A recent interview in Healthcare Dive pointed out that:

"Persistent heightened labor costs are posing financial challenges for systems. Although some are boosting permanent staff pay to attract needed workers, many have still been unable to curb soaring labor costs."

Growing Your Urgent Care Practice 

1) Do Telehealth Visits Actually Reduce Healthcare Costs for Clinicians? 

One of the purported benefits of telehealth visits was that they would save money for healthcare providers. But has this actually been the case? 

A recent Kaiser Family Foundation (KFF) study suggests that the cost-cutting benefits of telehealth may have been overstated. Doctors were paid nearly the same amount by insurance companies for in-person or virtual clinical visits, even earning slightly more for virtual visits on average. 

What's more, patients are making more virtual visits than they ever did before, as telehealth meetings are easier to attend than in-person appointments.

"It’s not surprising that payers hiked up their reimbursement rates. Some were mandated to (e.g. Medicare and certain states). But the findings raise the question if payment parity may increase overall healthcare spending," noted Insider Intelligence.

#2: How Long Does It Take Ged Lawyers to Reclaim Your Unpaid PIP Claims?

According to a 2022 Florida statute, personal injury protection (PIP) insurance claims are overdue if they're not paid within 30 days. However, many healthcare providers know that insurance companies often fail to pay these claims - or don't pay in full - within this timeframe. For instance, one Florida urgent care had over $800,000 of unpaid PIP claims. 

So, it's fair to say that many healthcare clinics are tired of waiting for their payouts. After partnering with Ged Lawyers, how long will you finally receive a payout on your claim? 

After contacting an insurer about a PIP claim, we expect a response detailing their payment plan within 30 days. If an insurance company does not respond to our request within that timeframe, we file litigation to ensure appropriate repayment. Timelines for litigation are less predictable, but you can keep track of your payout every step of the way on our digital platform.

If you're looking for efficient payouts on your outstanding PIP claims, our firm can help. Contact us at 561-995-1966 or through our website.