Prisma Health is making urgent care central to its growth strategy. In September, South Carolina’s largest health system announced plans to add 36 centers statewide, more than doubling a network it had already expanded from four to 31 locations.
The opportunity goes beyond expansion. According to the Urgent Care Association, 30 to 40 percent of urgent care patients are new to the health system, while 20 to 30 percent of visits generate downstream referrals. For health systems, a strong network can ease emergency department pressure, attract new patients and connect them to ongoing care.
But growth alone is not enough. Successful networks depend on getting the fundamentals right before scaling.Without those foundations, expansion risks multiplying existing problems.
This report explores:
- Why health systems continue investing in urgent care amid market consolidation
- How Prisma Health expanded through construction and acquisition
- The operational benchmarks that determine whether a network is ready to scale