1. Hospitals & Urgent Care Centers 2018 Profiler
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An Evolution of Patient Care
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2. Hospital Spending Lowest in Years
Hospital Spending Lowest in Years
With uncertainties about health insurance, more care delivered in outpatient settings and a constant focus on controlling costs, hospital spending increased just 1.9%, to $1.12 trillion, during September 2017, the lowest since September 2011.
During Q2 and Q3 2017, hospital spending averaged 2.3%, but increased 3.1% for the first 9 months of This slow growth is also reflected in a 36% decrease in hospital employment from 2016 to 2017, or 119, and 76,000, respectively.
Hospital spending during September 2017 was 32% of total health spending, or $3.53 trillion, at a seasonally adjusted annual rate (SAAR) By comparison, physician and clinical services were 20% and prescription drugs, 10%.

3. Fewer Hospitals Concentrated in Health Systems
Fewer Hospitals Concentrated in Health Systems
The most-recent data from the American Hospital Association reveals a total of 5,534 registered US hospitals during 2016, which is 93 fewer than The total number of community hospitals decreased from 4,926 during 2014 to 4,840 during 2016.
At the end of 2016, there were 626 health systems in the US, and they accounted for 69.7% of all US hospitals and 91.6% of all hospital discharges.
Of all the hospitals in those health systems, 63.4% had high uncompensated care burdens and 74.8% had high percentages of low-income patient populations.

4. Physicians at Hospitals
Physicians at Hospitals
According to the Medscape Hospitalist Compensation Report 2017, the largest group of physicians, by specialty, or “hospitalist,” was internists, at 39%; followed by pediatricians, 13%; psychiatrists, 10%; family, 7%; and anesthesiologists, 5%.
As might be expected, more women than men are Ob/Gyn hospitalists, or 66% and 55%, respectively; and there are slightly more women than men in neurology, at 31% and 30%, respectively; and anesthesiologists, at 30% and 23%, respectively.
Most hospitalists are 35 to 49 years of age, (51%), compared to 40% of non-hospitalists. More of them are also younger than 35, at 17% and 11%, respectively, while there are fewer 50–64 and 65+, compared to their non-hospitalists counterparts.

5. A Larger Urgent Care Market
A Larger Urgent Care Market
According to the Urgent Care Association of America (UCAOA), there were 7,357 urgent care centers in the US, a 9.7% increase over 2015’s 6,707. These include all centers: hospital-, physician-, private- and corporate- owned.
Kalorama Information reports 2,225 “retail” clinics during 2017, a 38.6% increase over 2016’s 1,605. These numbers are limited to such retailers as CVS Health (MinuteClinic), Walgreens (Healthcare Clinic) and Walmart (The Clinic at Walmart, Care Clinic).
Kalorama Information analysts expect the $69 billion CVS-Aetna merger will provide impetus for CVS to increase its more than 1,100 retail clinics, since Aetna is likely to encourage its insurance members to use these clinics

6. Urgent Care Centers: Addressing Patient Needs Quickly
Urgent Care Centers: Addressing Patient Needs Quickly
Analysis from Grand View Research forecasts total revenues for the US retail clinic market will reach $7.3 billion by 2025, a compound annual growth rate of 20.3%, compared to $1.4 billion for 2016, according to Kalorama Information.
In its 2016 Benchmarking Report Summary, UCAOA reported 96% of urgent care centers said the number of patient visits increased during 2015 and 735 acquired or built a new location.
During their 2015 fiscal year, urgent care centers averaged almost 12,000 patient care visits and 92% of patients waited 30 minutes or less to see a health care provider and 90% of centers achieved total patient throughput during 60 minutes or less.

7. New Technologies Improve Care
New Technologies Improve Care
As with many industries, hospitals will introduce the broad spectrum of new technologies, including 3-D printing for surgeries, artificial intelligence to make the patient experience more seamless and even robotics for repetitive tasks.
During late 2017, Microsoft launched its artificial-intelligence health chatbots to create interactive virtual assistants and provide patients with easier and more comprehensive access to health information.
Many healthcare futurists envision personalized hospital rooms with “picture” walls of pre-populated family images, recent vacation photos and various soothing natural views. Patients would also be able to make video calls and customize music selections

8. Advertising Strategies
Advertising Strategies
Hospitals can differentiate themselves with marketing messages that emphasize their increasing use of new technologies, but especially how these technologies reduce patients’ time in the hospital and make their stay more comfortable.
Urgent care centers, especially as new centers and/or chains open in your market, can highlight the brief patient wait times, the convenience of nearby locations and their value as an alternative to hospitals’ emergency services.
Look for announcements of micro-hospitals coming to your market and because they have a more retail orientation, suggest a grand opening discount for the first 10, 20 or more patients that schedule surgical and/or inpatient services within a limited time.

9.
New Media Strategies
Many healthcare consumers can be skeptical of new technologies being introduced at hospitals, which is why hospitals should create and post short videos about new technologies they’ve introduced and how they benefit patients.
Consumer stories often attract the most visits and views in social media, so urgent care centers, especially newly opened centers, should encourage patients to share their experience in videos for posting on the center’s Website and social media pages.
Since the micro-hospital concept will be new for many consumers, these facilities should consider a monthly or quarterly e-newsletter or video newsletter explaining how they are different from traditional hospitals and urgent care centers

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