24-hour primary care clinic aims to one-up urgent care

By Aine Cryts

We have 24-hour pharmacies and 24-hour gyms. And now a medical group in New Jersey will provide 24-hour primary care at one of its offices, according to a recent NJBIZ article.

Zayed Baker, M.D., a practicing physician and a principal at Riverside Medical Group, told the news outlet he'll start by offering around-the-clock care at the medical group's practice in Secaucus, New Jersey. If the 24-hour care model is successful, he plans to expand it to other locations. Admitting his plan is ambitious, Baker said he has solid funding and a full team of medical residents to deliver care around the clock--and improve care delivery.

Riverside Medical Group is making this move in the midst of retail health businesses popping up around the country. Baker distinguishes his approach from retail health and urgent care entities by focusing on what he calls a "'physician-first' strategy" that gives physicians and specialists the "upper hand."

"Urgent cares are a very short, insufficient answer to a long question," Baker told the news outlet. "Even though they are successful, we don't think you have to choose between access and quality."

Offering 24-hour care is one way medical groups can adjust in today's shifting healthcare landscape, where patients can go to a CVS Minute Clinic or a Walmart Clinic to get a flu shot or have their A1C1 levels checked. While walk-in clinics tend to excel in convenience, customer service and price transparency, there could be medical consequences for patients because they're receiving care from so many different providers.

In response, some healthcare providers are partnering with companies to build urgent care sites that are staffed by their clinicians, as previously reported in FiercePracticeManagement.

To learn more:
- read the article