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UF Health reports nearly 14,000 visits at Eastside urgent care; adds primary‑care capacity
Summary
UF Health updated commissioners on the Eastside urgent care (Aug 2024–May 2026 ~14,000 visits), payer mix (about 30% Blue Cross Blue Shield, ~10% self‑pay), average May wait ~24 minutes, and plans to integrate primary care and walk‑in lab services, while tracking ED admissions and access implications for nearby clinics.
UF Health staff told the joint meeting that the Eastside Urgent Care center has seen nearly 14,000 visits since opening in August 2024 and is now expanding to include an adjacent primary‑care suite.
Melanie Blackburn, director of community health and family medicine at UF, said the site now includes separate urgent‑care and primary‑care suites, with the first primary‑care physician on site and a second provider scheduled to begin in August. Each physician is expected to see up to 16 patients per day. Blackburn reported an average wait time of about 24 minutes in May and noted seasonal spikes during flu season.
UF Health is monitoring payer mix and utilization patterns: staff reported roughly 30% Blue Cross Blue Shield commercial coverage and about 10% self‑pay at the site — a lower self‑pay share than early expectations. The team is also tracking same‑day admissions from urgent care to the emergency department to assess whether the clinic reduces ED utilization; Blackburn said the relationship is “a bit tricky” to measure but the clinic is tracking those transfers.
Planned service expansions include integrating primary care to establish patients with PCPs, preventive screenings and social‑determinant health assessments, an on‑site phlebotomy/walk‑in lab request under review, and staffing adjustments (including extended hours) to match demand. Blackburn flagged physician staffing and schedule stability as a primary operational challenge and said UF Health recently received system support to staff for consistent double coverage during shifts.
Commissioners asked whether the new primary‑care services would pull patients from other neighborhood clinics and whether the clinic can coordinate with the county health department; Blackburn said staff are monitoring access and are open to partnerships. She also highlighted ongoing efforts to refer patients into community programs (for example, Food as Medicine) and to partner with community health workers for consented data sharing to close referral loops.
