The OrthoNOW orthopedic urgent care center franchise is expanding.
OrthoNOW to Open 8 New Urgent Care Centers
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On December 21, 2015, the company announced plans to open eight new locations throughout Florida in Aventura, Pinecrest, Winter Park, Wellington and two locations in Miami (Biscayne Blvd. and Coral Way), as well as two locations in Georgia (Savannah and Pooler).
Alejandro Badia, M.D., FACS, the company’s CEO and chief medical officer started OrthoNOW in 2010 to offer weekend warriors, amateur athletes and workers injured on the job easier access and competitive pricing to spendy emergency rooms. He saw a gap that was costing patients and employers too much time and money. Normally patients go to an emergency room, are x-rayed and then discharged and sent to an orthopedic specialist.
Badia analyzed detailed wrist injury records in Miami, Florida, and determined that many common orthopedic injuries would have been reduced from an average of 105 care days at a cost of $12, 450 to an average of 7 care days at a median cost of $700 at an orthopedic urgent care center.
After building his first center, Badia, according to the announcement, saw his practice obtain revenue growth of 15% and later that year his group realized a 30% increase in revenue. Every center is equipped with digital imaging equipment and offers the latest techniques and treatments by a team of orthopedic physicians and orthopedic- specialized ancillary providers. A center can even be attached to an ambulatory surgical center.
Franchisees get access to a pre-developed marketing campaign to launch, brand and develop their business.
One innovative feature of the franchise model is an app which allows patients to notify an OrthoNOW center that they are in route, the reason they’re coming, and what time they expect to arrive. Staff at that center receives instant notifications via phone, text, and email, and begins making preparations to receive the patient.
The company says more centers are in pre-development, but locations and area development agreements in certain metropolitan areas are still available.
For more information, go to: www.orthonowcare.com.
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This is a fascinating development. In my practice we've seen similar outcomes with the revised protocol. The key differentiator seems to be patient selection criteria. Has anyone else noticed the correlation with BMI thresholds?
Great point. I'd push back slightly on the conclusion, the sample size in the cited study is too small to draw population-level inferences. That said, the directional signal is compelling and worth a larger RCT.
We implemented a similar approach last year. Early results are promising but we're still gathering 12-month follow-up data. Happy to share our protocol if anyone is interested.
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