The New Medical Neighborhood - Where Does Pediatric Urgent Care Fit in?

Pediatric acute care delivery has changed dramatically in the last 20 years. While acute care options were once limited to only primary care and the emergency department, additional options now include retail based clinics, urgent care centers, and telehealth. These alternate settings have proliferated because of convenience, low relative cost, and the appeal of a patient-centric model aimed at customer service and efficiency of care. The patient-centered medical home has been slow to accept these changes with concerns about fragmentation of care and disruption to the medical home. Specialized pediatric urgent care centers may bridge the gap in the medical neighborhood offering acute care when access to a primary care physician is unavailable and the emergency department isn't required. This article discusses the evolution of pediatric urgent care and how acute care sites can work together with the medical home and maintain high quality of pediatric care.