Thesis (M.B.A.)--The College of St. Scholastica, 2019
Includes bibliographical references
Orthopedics is one of the most competitive specialties in modern medicine. A significant component of orthopedic practice is elective in nature, and thus impacted by trends in healthcare consumerism and shoppability. In order maintain market position and grow volume, access becomes a critical element to success. Orthopedic urgent care is a model that promotes ease of access, convenient hours, and prompt treatment by a specialist. This service can fill a niche between traditional medical office visits and the emergency room, providing access for patients with problems too severe to wait for an office visit, but not so severe as to need emergency intervention, and at a cost much lower than the emergency room. Orthopedic urgent care also offers advantages over a traditional urgent care by offering prompt access to specialists, providing better, more definite care for orthopedic conditions. Effectively designing and establishing an orthopedic urgent care requires attention to multiple variables. Location is a key consideration, as is whether the facility will be free-standing or embedded within an existing facility. Clinical staffing models must be designed to meet market expectations while also considering salary expense. Support staff models must focus on the full line of orthopedic care while maximizing versatility and cross training. A formal model for planning and implementation of an orthopedic urgent care, such as the content presented in this paper, will aid in the development of a service that meets the conditions of the local healthcare market and addresses the changing health care expectations of consumers.
Electronic reproduction. Ann Arbor, Mich. : ProQuest, 2020
