Through a partnership with Atlanta-based WellStreet Urgent Care, Southfield, Mich.-based Beaumont Health plans to open as many as 30 urgent care centers in metro Detroit by the end of 2019.
The urgent care centers are part of Beaumont Health's overall strategy to provide convenient and lower-cost care options for its patients.
The hospital system said more than 40 percent of consumers visiting an urgent care center do not have a primary care physician, and part of the investment in these facilities is to help "connect these patients with primary care physicians affiliated with the Beaumont clinically integrated network," said Beaumont Health CEO John Fox.
Several Beaumont Urgent Care centers will open by the end of this year. Beaumont will announce their locations in the coming weeks. The new venture is focused on finding locations in high-traffic areas, near high-volume emergency centers and commercially dense areas.
"We want to make it easy for people to take charge of their health by providing quick and convenient access to care," said Beaumont CMO David Wood, MD. "When patients come to our urgent care centers, we will notify their primary care physician and share clinical information. We know it’s critically important for primary care doctors to be notified when their patients seek medical attention. Urgent care is not a substitute for primary care."
Once the centers are open, patients will be able to make appointments online. There will be weekend and evening appointments available.