Health systems across the U.S. are looking for ways to improve the overall health of the communities they serve while cutting costs. One emerging trend to reconcile these seemingly competing goals is investing in primary care and express care sites.
These investments could be the key to lowering costs, improving patient satisfaction and reducing hospitalizations or unnecessary emergency department visits, according to an op-ed published in the New England Journal of Medicine.
Here are five hospital or health systems investing in primary, retail or urgent care sites as reported by Becker's Hospital Review since October:
1. ChristianaCare partners with urgent care chain
ChristianaCare, a three-hospital system based in Wilmington, Del., is establishing a network of new urgent care centers throughout Delaware in partnership with GoHealth Urgent Care.
2. Piedmont joint venture acquires 9 urgent care centers
A joint venture between Atlanta-based Piedmont Healthcare and WellStreet Urgent Care recently acquired nine urgent care centers, expanding its footprint to 26 urgent care facilities.
3. Huntsville Hospital partners to build urgent care network
Huntsville (Ala.) Hospital Health System is forming a joint venture partnership with Urgent Team Family of Urgent Care & Walk-In Centers to build and operate a network of urgent care centers in Alabama.
4. TriHealth to take over 7 Cincinnati Walgreens clinics
Walgreens will transfer ownership of seven Walgreens Healthcare Clinics in the Cincinnati area to TriHealth.
5. Novant Health to open health clinics inside Walgreens
Novant Health, a 15-hospital system in Winston-Salem, N.C., will open retail health clinics in several Walgreens pharmacies in the state.
More articles on transactions and valuation:
WVU Medicine to absorb Pennsylvania hospital
ChristianaCare partners with urgent care chain
AdventHealth buys 103 acres in Florida