Two of our esteemed doctors, Drs. Alesia Wagner and Franz Ritucci, spoke with California Healthline recently about the growth of urgent care. Check out what they had to say:
Use of Urgent Care Growing in Southern California
By Stephanie Stephens, California Healthline Regional Correspondent
Having matured from their early 1970s image of “Docs in a Box,” urgent care centers are growing in popularity with patients who would rather not wait to see a doctor — whether in an office or in the emergency department.
Urgent care’s growth is partly attributable to immediate and projected shortages of primary care physicians. California barely meets the nationally recognized standard for the number of primary care physicians. According to a July 2010 California HealthCare Foundation report, only the Orange, Sacramento, and Bay Area regions meet the recommended supply. Los Angeles falls just below.