Chief Operating Officer
Priority 1 Urgent Care
Brief Biography:
I am a residency trained emergency physician and the founder of an independent, physician-led urgent care practice in New York’s Capital Region. I continue to practice clinically while leading the organization’s strategic, financial, and operational direction in an increasingly complex and consolidated healthcare environment.
After having worked for 10 years as an urgent care Medical Director first in a regional independent practice association and later with a large hospital based system, I founded my practice with a simple but enduring belief: urgent care should provide high-quality, efficient, and affordable episodic care while remaining rooted in physician leadership and community accountability. Operating independently has given me firsthand experience with the pressures facing urgent care every day; reimbursement compression, workforce shortages, regulatory expansion, and payer consolidation, as well as a deep appreciation for the model’s ability to improve access and reduce strain on emergency departments.
I am actively involved in urgent care advocacy at both the regional and national levels, engaging policymakers on issues including licensure, payment reform, and recognition of urgent care’s role in the healthcare system. Through this work, I have a strong appreciation for the importance of a unified national voice with the ability to represent practices of all sizes and structures.
I seek to serve on the Urgent Care Association Board of Directors because I believe the next several years will define urgent care’s trajectory. The industry must move beyond being viewed as “convenient care” and instead be recognized as an essential part of the nation’s healthcare infrastructure. Creating that transition will require disciplined advocacy, thoughtful governance, and continued clear articulation of urgent care’s value proposition to payers and policymakers.
I will contribute to the UCA Board by bringing an active small scale operator’s perspective informed by clinical practice, direct payer negotiation, and real-time operational decision-making. I am committed to helping ensure that urgent care remains sustainable, medically-informed, and positioned to meet growing patient demand with quality and integrity.
Organization Description:
Priority 1 Urgent Care is an independent, physician-owned urgent care practice serving New York’s Capital Region. Founded in 2019 and actively led by emergency physician Jonathan S. Halpert, MD, FACEP, the practice was established to provide accessible, high-acuity/enhanced urgent care services in a community-based, operationally disciplined environment.
The organization delivers episodic acute care with on-site diagnostics, efficient throughput, and a focus on clinical excellence. Operating without the backing of a hospital system or national corporate platform, Priority 1 directly manages payer negotiations, regulatory compliance, workforce recruitment, and revenue cycle performance, providing real-time insight into the pressures facing independent urgent care operators nationwide.
Priority 1 is grounded in the principles of affordability, access, and physician leadership. Its experience reflects both the opportunities and vulnerabilities of independent urgent care in a consolidating marketplace, reinforcing the importance of strong national advocacy, fair reimbursement, and sustainable practice models.
Professional Experience:
Founder & Chief Executive Officer – Priority 1 Urgent Care, Guilderland, New York
Previous Involvement with Boards:
To date by far my most extensive and meaningful Board involvement is with that of the North East Regional Urgent Care Association (NERUCA). I was a founding Board member in 2013 and served as the organization’s first Vice President and then it’s second President. Following that, I remained on the Board of directors for three years, and continue to serve as the Chair of Government Affairs, an ex-officio Board position.
Education:
Awards, Honors, Community Involvement:
Vision for the Future of Urgent Care and Core Purpose for UCA for the next 3-5 Years:
The urgent care industry is rapidly approaching an inflection point. Reimbursement compression, payer vertical integration, workforce constraints, and expanding regulation will shape where we go over the next several years. If we do not actively define our role, others will define it for us.
My vision is that urgent care is formally recognized, by CMS, commercial payers, and policymakers, as the most scalable and cost-effective site of episodic acute care in the healthcare system. That recognition must translate into sustainable payment and thoughtful policy.
Over the next several years, it is imperative that the Urgent Care Association as a member services/trade association, focus on three priorities:
Urgent care must move from being perceived as “convenient care” to being recognized as an essential part of the nation’s healthcare infrastructure. I believe that an organization like the UCA has a responsibility to ensure that this aspiration occurs in a way that is intentional, unified, and durable.
Disclosures:
none