The Rise of On-Demand Care: A Look into Virtual Urgent Care Platforms and Their Benefits

In recent years, more people have used virtual healthcare services, including virtual urgent care. The COVID-19 pandemic made this trend grow faster by showing how important it is for patients to get care without visiting clinics in person.

One example is Doctor On Demand. It is a leading virtual care provider in the U.S. The company had over 3 million virtual visits quickly and expanded services to 33 million Medicare Part B members after CMS changed reimbursement rules. Doctor On Demand serves over 98 million people and has a patient rating of 4.9 out of 5. The platform gives access to many providers like doctors, psychiatrists, and therapists anytime, with an average wait time of only 10 minutes. This shows how care is moving toward virtual-first models across the country.

At the same time, Houston Methodist changed how patients get care by using new technologies, including virtual urgent care. Patient visits at Houston Methodist’s Same Day clinics grew from 3,000 in 2018 to over 50,000 in 2024. This is a more than tenfold increase. More than half of these appointments, 55%, are now booked online. These changes help reduce problems related to coverage, location, and wait times—issues patients often say stop them from getting care quickly.

Benefits of Virtual Urgent Care for Medical Practices

1. Increased Patient Access and Satisfaction

Offering same-day or next-day appointments through online scheduling helps medical practices meet patients’ needs for faster and easier care. For example, after Houston Methodist launched their Access Transformation program, online self-scheduling went up by 26%. The Fast Pass system filled over 44,000 appointments in 2024. It let patients see a doctor about 20 days earlier than usual.

Platforms like 98point6 also help by letting patients communicate through texting and live audio or video calls. This gives patients options that fit their schedules without waiting for office hours or scheduled visits.

2. Streamlined Workflows and Administrative Efficiency

Some platforms made just for urgent care, like Experity, include electronic health records (EHR) and practice management (PM) systems that help make daily work faster. Experity can register patients in less than three minutes and finish charts for common visits in under two minutes. This lets doctors spend more time with patients and helps the practice collect payments faster.

Admins using virtual care systems can also onboard quickly. Experity can get a practice started in just two weeks with continued support. This means less interruption to care and helps clinics keep up with new technology and patient needs.

3. Expanded Revenue Opportunities

Virtual care platforms can bring in more money by attracting patients who want quick access to care. Using AI for scheduling, billing, and documentation helps practices manage their money flow better. Experity reported a 288% return on investment by making billing easier, improving coding accuracy, and ensuring insurance rules are met.

Partnerships between virtual care providers and insurers also matter. For example, Humana’s On Hand™ health plan works with Doctor On Demand’s virtual primary care. These partnerships support long-term virtual care and help control costs for insurers.

AI and Automation Integration in Virtual Urgent Care Platforms

AI in Scheduling and Appointment Management

Houston Methodist uses AI bots to handle scheduling tasks like confirming, canceling, or rescheduling appointments. This reduces the work for human staff so they can focus on more complicated patient needs. Centralized scheduling across different specialties also helps manage calls better and gives patients a more consistent booking experience. This led to 10,000 more specialty appointments scheduled each year.

Automation in Clinical Documentation and Workflow

98point6’s virtual platform uses AI to automate patient intake, documentation, charting, and orders for labs or imaging. Automating these tasks saves time so clinicians can spend more time taking care of patients and less time on paperwork. The system supports evidence-based clinical decisions but lets doctors keep control over their medical choices.

Many doctors feel burned out because of too much paperwork. Virtual platforms that cut down on these tasks can help improve job satisfaction and keep doctors working longer by letting them focus on patient care.

Improving Patient Communication and Engagement

AI tools include real-time wait time updates, automatic text reminders, and digital surveys. These help patients and providers communicate better, reduce missed appointments, and improve satisfaction.

The Community Health Plan of Washington uses virtual care with a 24/7 Nurse Advice Line and digital help. This gives patients quick advice and helps them move between virtual and in-person care smoothly. These tools make the experience easier, especially for people who might have trouble using technology or getting healthcare.

Implementation Considerations for Medical Practices

• Integration with Existing Systems: Platforms should work well with electronic health records (EHRs) and practice management systems to keep workflows smooth and avoid repeating data entry.
• Provider Training and Support: Quick training and ongoing help are important. Providers like systems that make charting and registering patients easier without lowering care quality.
• Patient Access and Usability: Platforms must be easy for patients to use, offering texting, audio, and video options. Flexible scheduling and clear communication help more patients use the service.
• Regulatory Compliance and Security: Platforms should protect patient privacy and follow rules like HIPAA to keep information safe.
• Scalability: Systems should grow or shrink to handle different patient numbers. This helps small clinics and big health systems alike.

Summary

Virtual urgent care platforms are growing because patients want fast and easy healthcare. Examples like Houston Methodist, Doctor On Demand, 98point6, and Experity show how technology is helping people get care, making operations smoother, and raising patient satisfaction. AI and automation in these platforms reduce paperwork, help with scheduling, and assist clinical decisions. This lets healthcare providers focus more on taking care of patients.

Medical practice leaders should keep these benefits in mind when choosing and using virtual urgent care solutions. Good system integration, training, legal compliance, and scalable technology will help healthcare organizations meet changing patient needs and improve how they work in the U.S.