WTKE - Episode 71: Right Care, Right Now: Innovating Urgent Care Delivery

Convenient, accessible, and increasingly sophisticated retail urgent care centers are bridging the gap between primary care and the emergency room—meeting patients where they are, both physically and in their expectations. But behind the convenience lies a complex and evolving story about care quality, cost, workforce, and integration with the broader healthcare system. 

In this episode, MaineHealth Chief Operating Officer Kelly Elkins discusses MaineHealth’s retail urgent care strategy with Mike Bianchi, Vice President Emerging Business Lines and Oncology Service Line and Alicia Faller, Medical Director Urgent Care. They explore what is driving its growth, how it will reshape the patient experience, and what role it will play in the future of value-based, consumer-centered care.

Listeners will learn how the urgent care model connects to MaineHealth’s broader mission—improving access, experience, and continuity through Epic integration—and how this pilot could scale to additional communities across Maine and New Hampshire.