Urgent Care: What's the Rush?

Answering your four top questions about urgent care

By Anna Faller | Dec. 21, 2024

For most of us, the term “urgent care” conjures images of a multi-use walk-in clinic. It’s where you could get a sprain wrapped at night, get tested for mono and strep throat in college, or refill that important prescription you forgot to pack on holiday.

In all of these cases, you’d be right. Urgent cares and their services, though, especially in the wake of COVID, have since grown to meet community needs far beyond on-the-spot cold and flu treatment.

The Urgent Care Association, a trade association for urgent cares around the country, reports that 200 million patients are seen at urgent care offices each year, with more than a quarter of U.S. adults visiting one in 2023.

“We see a lot in urgent care,” notes Amber Davenport, Regional Clinical Director of WellNow Urgent Care, a chain which just opened its doors in Traverse City this year. “We do a lot in first-line evaluation and can manage the majority of illnesses and injuries that come through the door.”

Northern Express sat down with representatives from two of TC’s urgent care centers—WellNow’s Davenport and Dr. Jacob Szafranski, medical director for Munson Healthcare’s two locations in Traverse City—for some insight on available services, how to make the most of your urgent care visit, and what developing industry trends could mean for the future of local healthcare.

What Do They Treat?

Per Szafranski and Davenport, urgent care addresses acute, but not life-threatening, health issues that can be treated quickly.

“You can’t always walk into [other offices], and they might not have some of the tools [we do]. There’s a specific role we’re trying to fill, and there’s definitely a need for it,” says Szafranski.

That “non-life-threatening” piece is key, as there are certain medical circumstances an urgent care isn’t equipped to handle. Conditions requiring complex imaging (think: CT scans or MRIs), extensive lab work, or specialized monitoring, for instance, aren’t always available. Instead, says Szafranski, the patient in question would be triaged to a more appropriate department.

One of these is the emergency room, which should be your immediate destination if you’re experiencing a life-threatening medical concern. That includes, but isn’t limited to: chest pain or shortness of breath, which could point to cardiovascular or respiratory distress; severe trauma or head injuries with loss of consciousness; uncontrolled bleeding; or classic signs of a stroke, like sudden weakness, numbness, or changes in speech.

The other point of care here is referral to a general practitioner. Knowing when to contact a GP, though, can sometimes feel tricky, as there’s often overlap between routine and urgent care services. Per Szafranski, that distinction is clouded further when we factor in the ever-climbing cost of health insurance and that some clinic clients lack access to primary care entirely.

Though the latter situation isn’t unique—in fact, it’s prevalent nationwide—it is a potential obstacle to ensuring patients receive the best course of treatment.

“There are certain elements of healthcare you’d be missing without a primary doctor,” he notes. “Things like vaccinations, health maintenance, and [disease] screenings are all outside the urgent care scope.”

Consequently, he stresses that chronic conditions and those that need multiple follow-up visits are best addressed in a general care setting. Diabetes is a prime example of this, as are high blood pressure or cholesterol, autoimmune conditions, thyroid disease, and bone or joint issues, like arthritis.

Outside of those boundaries, though, urgent care sees just about everything else!

Mild infections, like conjunctivitis (aka, pink eye) and urinary tract infections are common complaints, Szafranski says, as are minor lacerations, foreign body removal for eyes and ears, rashes, stomach bugs, and various musculoskeletal injuries.

With cold and flu season ramping up, both practitioners also report a recent uptick in respiratory illnesses, like bronchitis, influenza, and COVID-19.

Pertussis, aka whooping cough, is also on the statewide rise, with the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services reporting upwards of 830 cases in 2024 (that’s up from about 600 annually from 2017-2019), as is mycoplasma, also called “walking pneumonia.”

Is It Faster?

It’s no secret that expedient treatment is also a primary draw for most walk-in clinic visitors. Just how speedy, though, is dependent both on patient acuity, as well as when you seek care.

Though none of the aforementioned clinics is ever objectively slow, Szafranski does note that certain time frames tend to see less traffic than others.

“Our slowest time is typically around dinner, which is when people are often occupied driving home or eating a meal,” he says. Conversely, late evenings and early mornings are consistently peak urgent care hours, as are weekends and holidays.

Seasonality is also a key factor here, as the population of Traverse City, and by extension, local urgent care needs, more than doubles with the summer influx, culminating around the National Cherry Festival.

Per Davenport’s estimation, which puts recent WellNow patient averages at around 30 to 40 per 12-hour day, this means that TC’s clinics combined could easily be diagnosing and treating thousands of patients each week in the summer.

More bodies to heal, though, means longer wait times. Both centers prioritize timely care, with the majority of patients received in a matter of minutes—in fact, WellNow has set its bar to complete treatment in less than 45. This is in contrast to similar ER queues, which can average up to two-and-a-half hours per visit.

Are They Fully Staffed?

As for staffing to meet those surges?

So far, shortages are a non-issue, though both providers stress that they’re always on the lookout for more high-quality staff. On the ground, this breaks down to one clinician onsite at WellNow, while Munson’s locations staff three or four providers, many of whom are contingent from other sectors within the healthcare field.

“[Urgent care] is similar to many other industries in that there are certain job types that are more difficult to fill, but we’re very fortunate to have a strong cohort of providers [in northern Michigan],” says Szafranski. Thus, word of mouth is a key funnel, he adds, especially in our tight-knit region. WellNow also utilizes an accredited fellowship program to attract staff.

The shift-style framework of urgent care is another draw for many applicants, as it offers a balance outside the office that similar departments, like trauma, can’t. Per Davenport, this not only makes for happier staff, but also better-equipped clinicians.

“We have set hours and set shifts, so when you’re off, you’re off,” she says. “We think it’s really important for our providers to be able to take a day, reset, and then be at their best when they’re seeing patients.”

Can You Access Urgent Care from Home?

As we look to the winter months and 2025, our sources unanimously point to telehealth as the next “big thing” in the medical field.

The service, which was first introduced locally at the onset of the pandemic, headlined by Munson’s “Ask a Nurse” hotline, has since become a pillar of regional healthcare, both for its convenience and virtually limitless patient capacity, especially for those in more rural locations.

As our providers underscore, Traverse City represents a key medical zone for much of the northwest Michigan region with patients traveling from dozens of out-of-town hubs, some as far as Cadillac and Alpena.

To better meet that demand, both Munson and WellNow also offer a selection of urgent care services virtually, including phone consultations and real-time meetings, though these sessions are often limited to a finite set of eligible symptoms like coughs, rashes, and UTIs. Munson is even equipped to provide care in Florida—a handy tool for “snowbird” travelers.

“Urgent care is so needed in northern Michigan,” adds Davenport. “We really want to be there for the local community, and by providing access to these clinics and extended hours, we’ve been able to [do that].”

Find WellNow Urgent Care at 3570 N. US-31 South in Traverse City. (231) 401-1166. wellnow.com. Munson Healthcare has two Traverse City urgent care offices: one inside the Foster Family Community Health Center at 550 Munson Ave., (231) 935-8686, and the other at Urgent Care West, 3074 N. US-31 South. (231) 929-1234. munsonhealthcare.org.