Jan. 12--A prohibition on the use of "urgent" by urgent-care facilities has been lifted.
For years, traditional urgent-care facilities were not allowed to use the term in their titles. Illinois law allowed only emergency rooms to incorporate "urgent" or similar words in their names after some nonemergency centers were caught billing at emergency-room prices.
Now, facilities that have for years used terms like "immediate care," "convenient care" or "walk-in care" can use "urgent care."
Urgent-care operations serve patients who have illnesses or injuries that don't warrant a 911 call but require more care than a retail clinic such as Walgreens or Target offer.
There are about 9,000 urgent-care centers across the United States, said Alan Ayers, of the Urgent Care Association of America board of directors. Visits to urgent care centers typically cost significantly less than an emergency room visit.
"Urgent care is somewhat of a middle plank," Ayers said. "It is a term that's been developed in the health care ecosystem. It's important to be able to name the centers consistently with the rest of the health care industry to avoid confusion."
ehirst@tribpub.com
Twitter @ellenjeanhirst
