The evolution of urgent care delivery has been significantly shaped by the integration of virtual platforms, particularly in the context of value-based healthcare systems. The Get Care Now (GCN) programme, operated by the Southern California Permanente Medical Group (SCPMG), represents a mature implementation of virtual urgent care (VUC), offering 24/7 access via digital platforms. This model has allowed SCPMG to complement its in-person urgent care clinics (UCCs) while enhancing accessibility, patient satisfaction and operational efficiency. By leveraging digital tools within an integrated system, SCPMG’s VUC model demonstrates how healthcare delivery can be both patient-centred and sustainable.
Redefining Access and Utilisation
GCN, launched in October 2021, provides immediate virtual consultations via phone or video, serving a wide patient base without additional costs or limitations based on empanelment or insurance type. This accessibility has been pivotal in meeting non-emergency healthcare needs around the clock. Data from a three-year period indicates that GCN facilitated over 1.3 million visits, with a significant portion of users aged 30–49 and a higher proportion of female and Hispanic/Latino patients.
Utilisation trends reveal that GCN appeals particularly to those seeking convenience, with lower average wait times compared to UCCs—approximately 21 minutes shorter. This reduction is even more pronounced when accounting for travel time to physical clinics. Additionally, GCN maintained a robust digital adoption rate, with over 83% of SCPMG patients actively using the online portal by late 2024. Despite digital access parity in broadband usage across zip codes, in-person UCCs remain a necessary component of the care continuum, particularly for cases involving older adults or conditions requiring physical examinations and imaging.
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Performance and Outcomes in Quality Care
In comparing GCN and UCC services, quality and safety metrics present compelling evidence of the former's efficacy. Although GCN encounters included a higher proportion of respiratory and urinary tract infections, the antibiotic prescription rate was significantly lower than that of UCC visits. This suggests more judicious prescribing practices within the virtual setting.
Further, GCN users demonstrated lower return rates to emergency departments within three days, although they had higher follow-up rates to urgent care services. This pattern underscores GCN’s role in managing less severe conditions effectively while recognising the need for escalation in more complex cases. Moreover, metrics such as speciality referrals, imaging orders and primary care consultations were consistently lower for GCN, pointing to efficient triaging and avoidance of unnecessary interventions.
The system's integration allowed GCN providers to remain involved in patient care beyond the virtual visit, including following up on diagnostic orders and initiating referrals as needed. This continuity is a distinctive advantage of value-based systems over transactional, third-party telemedicine services, where such follow-through is often lacking.
Patient Experience and Organisational Integration
Patient feedback strongly supports GCN's impact, with a consistently high Net Promoter Score between 86 and 89 throughout its first twelve quarters. Sentiment analysis of post-visit surveys revealed nearly 90% positive responses, reflecting satisfaction with the convenience and responsiveness of the virtual platform.
Importantly, more than half of GCN users indicated they would have otherwise visited a UCC, highlighting the programme's role in reducing physical clinic load. This redistribution of demand allows UCCs to prioritise more complex or procedure-intensive cases, creating a synergistic dynamic between virtual and physical care modalities.
The organisational embedding of GCN within SCPMG's infrastructure ensures seamless integration with electronic health records and aligns provider incentives with long-term patient wellbeing. By adhering to evidence-based guidelines and undergoing regular training, GCN providers maintain high standards of care. Moreover, initiatives to improve preventive care delivery during virtual visits are underway, aiming to increase the completion of care gap actions during queue times.
The Get Care Now programme exemplifies how virtual urgent care can be successfully deployed within a value-based healthcare model to enhance access, quality and patient satisfaction. GCN not only meets patient demand efficiently but also supports broader organisational goals by alleviating pressure on traditional care venues and promoting integrated care practices. While challenges remain in quantifying direct cost savings and ensuring equitable digital access, SCPMG’s experience underscores the transformative potential of virtual care when embedded within a system committed to holistic, patient-centred service. As the healthcare landscape continues to adapt post-pandemic, the hybrid model of care that balances digital and in-person interactions will be key to achieving sustainable, high-quality healthcare delivery.
Source: npj digital medicine
Image Credit: iStock
