Retail clinic and urgent care center visits declined 12% nationwide from 2022 to 2023, a March 31 white paper from Fair Health found.
The report also found that ambulatory surgery center utilization decreased by 7%, and telehealth use declined by 3% over the same period. In contrast, emergency room utilization rose by 4%.
Here are six other key findings from the report:
- Emergency rooms accounted for the highest percentage of medical claim lines among studied care settings in 2023, comprising 4.3% of all claims.
- Telehealth followed at 3.8%, while urgent care centers, ASCs and retail clinics accounted for 1.9%, 1.0% and 0.2%, respectively. Traditional physician offices remained the predominant setting for medical services.
- Women continued to submit more claim lines than men in most age groups across ERs and alternative sites of care.
- Georgia ranked among the top five states for retail clinic and urgent care utilization but was not among the top five for telehealth.
- COVID-19 remained a common diagnosis across retail clinics, urgent care centers and telehealth, but declined in ranking.
- The median allowed amount for CPT code 99204 (new patient office or outpatient visit, 45-59 minutes) was highest in physician offices at $183, compared to $179 for urgent care centers and $138 for retail clinics.
The full report, FH Healthcare Indicators and FH Medical Price Index 2025: An Annual View of Place of Service Trends and Medical Pricing, is available on Fair Health’s website.
At the Becker's 11th Annual IT + Revenue Cycle Conference: The Future of AI & Digital Health, taking place September 14–17 in Chicago, healthcare executives and digital leaders from across the country will come together to explore how AI, interoperability, cybersecurity, and revenue cycle innovation are transforming care delivery, strengthening financial performance, and driving the next era of digital health. Apply for complimentary registration now.