By Dean Hutchison, National UC Realty
National UC Realty tracks over 17,000 walk-in facilities nationwide which gives us a unique, ground level view of how the industry in evolving in real time.
A fairly recent development we are monitoring is the growth of hybrid freestanding emergency room/urgent care facilities. National UC Realty is currently tracking 96 of these hybrid facilities and the majority are affiliated with or operated by health systems.
These facilities are not limited to one or two states; we are currently tracking them in Arizona, Colorado, Delaware, Florida, Idaho, Illinois, Indiana, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maine, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, New Mexico, New York, Ohio, Oklahoma, Oregon, South Carolina, South Dakota, Texas, Utah, Washington, Wisconsin, and Wyoming.
These facilities occupy a unique position on the care continuum—offering the higher-acuity capabilities of an emergency department alongside the convenience and lower cost structure of urgent care for lower-acuity patients.
The appeal is obvious to both patients and operators. Patients receive the right level of care without the long waits associated with hospital-based ERs.
Health systems benefit by relieving pressure on their main emergency departments, strengthening referral networks, and capturing revenue from a broader range of acuity levels in a single convenient location.
Many of these hybrids are strategically placed in growing communities where full hospital development would be cost-prohibitive.
We expect the hybrid segment to continue expanding as more health systems look for innovative ways to meet community needs while optimizing their overall delivery network.
For traditional urgent care operators, understanding where they are opening and how they position themselves will be key to long-term strategic planning.
The urgent care industry has always been dynamic. In 2026, operators who are watching the hybrid trend closely will be better positioned to adapt as the care delivery landscape continues to evolve.
At National UC Realty, our database and industry expertise exist to support your market evaluation and site-selection decisions with objective, data-driven insights. Whether you are evaluating a new location, analyzing your current portfolio, or exploring acquisition opportunities, we are here to help.
If you have any questions about the National UC Realty database of Urgent Care clinics, reach out to Dean Hutchison at dean@nationalucr.com. To learn more about our company visit: nationalucr.com.