Benchmarking Patient Satisfaction in Urgent Care Industry

The urgent care industry in the United States has experienced remarkable growth over the past decade, nearly doubling from 7,220 centers in 2014 to 15,032 as of January 2025.^[1] This rapid expansion underscores the highly competitive and elastic nature of the market, where patient choices are abundant, and switching costs are minimal. In such a dynamic environment, understanding and enhancing patient satisfaction and loyalty are paramount for urgent care centers aiming to differentiate themselves and retain their patient base.

Net Promoter Score (NPS), in particular, is a key metric for urgent care centers (UCCs), providing valuable insights into patient experiences and overall satisfaction. A high NPS indicates positive patient experiences, leading to better retention and strong word-of-mouth referrals. By benchmarking NPS against industry standards, UCCs can identify areas for improvement, set realistic goals, and enhance service delivery. Focusing on NPS helps drive performance improvements and positions urgent care centers as leaders in patient care.

How is NPS Measured?

NPS measures patient loyalty by assessing the likelihood of patients recommending a service to others. Patients are categorized as Promoters (scores 9-10), Passives (scores 7-8), or Detractors (scores 0-6). The NPS is calculated by subtracting the percentage of Detractors from the percentage of Promoters, yielding a score between -100 and +100.^[2]

Industry Benchmarks: Where Do Urgent Care Centers Stand?

Analyzing industry benchmarks for Net Promoter Scores (NPS) in urgent care centers reveals a consistent trend of high patient satisfaction and loyalty. According to a 2021 survey by GMR Web Team among 17756 patients, the overall NPS for urgent care centers was 76.5 out of 100, indicating a strong likelihood of patients recommending these services.^[3]

(Source: GMR Web Team)

Similarly, a review of over 928,000 surveys collected through Experity Patient Engagement reported an average NPS of 86 for urgent care centers, further emphasizing the positive patient experiences in this sector.^[4] These figures suggest that urgent care centers generally outperform the broader healthcare industry, which has an average NPS of 58.^[5]

Maintaining or exceeding these benchmark scores is crucial for urgent care centers aiming to enhance patient satisfaction and foster loyalty.

Improving Your NPS Scores

Enhancing your Net Promoter Score (NPS) is essential for fostering patient loyalty and improving overall service quality in your urgent care center. Implementing strategies such as streamlining patient flow to reduce wait times and problems of over and understaffing, clearly communicating diagnoses and treatment plans, training staff in active listening and empathy, regularly collecting and responding to patient feedback, following up with dissatisfied patients, maintaining a clean and comfortable environment, investing in staff training on patient-centered care and effective communication, and streamlining administrative processes can significantly improve patient experiences. By focusing on these areas, your urgent care center can enhance patient satisfaction, leading to higher NPS, increased patient loyalty, and a stronger reputation in the healthcare community.

Conclusion

It is time to introspect:

• Are you meeting the industry benchmark for NPS Score?
• Have you identified areas for improvement based on patient feedback?
• Is your center leveraging advanced solutions to enhance patient experience?

By implementing targeted strategies and leveraging advanced solutions, such as those offered by Navikenz, your center can help you solve these problems, improve patient experiences and operational efficiency and achieve higher satisfaction & loyalty scores.

Contact us today to learn how we can help you transform your patient experience and achieve measurable improvements in satisfaction and loyalty at [email protected].

References

[1] https://urgentcareassociation.org/wp-content/uploads/2023-Urgent-Care-Industry-White-Paper.pdf

[2] https://customergauge.com/benchmarks/blog/nps-healthcare-net-promoter-score-benchmarks

[3] https://www.gmrwebteam.com/urgent-care-patient-satisfaction-survey-2021#:~:text=Overall%2C%20the%20Net%20Promoter%20Score,was%2077.30%20/100%20in%202020.

[4] https://www.jucm.com/nps-predicts-success-in-uc/

[5] https://customergauge.com/benchmarks/blog/nps-healthcare-net-promoter-score-benchmarks