Choosing Urgent Care Solutions: Expert Guidance for Evaluating Urgent Care Communications Providers

Due to gaps in healthcare systems, the influence of the COVID-19 pandemic, and an increase in the number of people with health insurance, better urgent care solutions are needed to keep up with demand and ensure high-quality patient care.

Since 2019, urgent care centers have seen a 60% increase in patient volume. As an integral part of today’s healthcare system, urgent care centers sit between patients and their primary care providers. One way to ensure they deliver the best quality care and maximize the effectiveness of their business is to invest in the right blend of urgent care communications technologies. Urgent care solutions provided by a reliable communications provider that understands the unique needs of these facilities can make the difference between successful patient care or fragmented, ineffective long-term healthcare services.  

Top 5 Requirements for Urgent Care Solutions  

As vendors with expertise in managed cloud solutions tailored to the healthcare industry, S-NET’s expert team provides the following guidance to customers when evaluating urgent care solutions.  

Reliability & Redundancy   

To ensure your systems remain operational, look for a communications provider with redundant data centers, built-in resiliency, and a proven track record of 99.999% guaranteed uptime. With the proper network infrastructure and support, your communications provider will be able to ensure your urgent care solutions remain operational around the clock.   

HIPAA Compliance  

Another essential component for urgent care solutions is a HIPAA-compliant communications provider. In addition to providing ultra-reliable communications, look for a provider that offers built-in security and HIPAA compliance as part of its solutions. To ensure patient data is secure, your vendor should offer robust encryptions, secure data centers, cutting-edge security solutions including SD-WAN, SASE and managed firewall, and be able to ensure strict access controls as safeguards.  

Scalability & Flexibility  

As urgent care centers continue to expand, keeping up with growth requires scalable and flexible urgent care solutions to meet increasing demands. Additionally, urgent care communications should also be able to adapt to current fluctuations in typical daily workflows. Find a communications provider that can provide tailored-fit solutions designed to meet your facility’s unique needs and who is also agile enough to respond if issues arise.   

Interoperability & Integration  

Another common requirement for growing urgent care centers is integrating line-of-business applications such as electronic health records systems and telehealth platforms. 65% of patients assume their primary care provider receives information about their urgent care visit. To facilitate better quality care and meet patient expectations, look for an urgent care solutions provider that can integrate all your technologies into a cohesive platform that ensures seamless data exchange, streamlined operations, and secure communications across the organization and with other healthcare providers.    

24/7 Support & Maintenance  

Our final recommendation is to ensure you select a communications vendor that offers 24/7/365 support and seamless maintenance of your urgent care solutions. A provider who can respond to emergencies is essential for any urgent care center where communication reliability and functionality are vital to ensuring excellent patient care. Ask providers about their support, disaster recovery, and business continuity plans to ensure you get the level of service you want.

With these recommendations in mind, you can find an urgent care solutions vendor that meets all your needs and ensures dedicated support so that you can focus on providing the best quality care to your patients.