Growing Popularity Of Urgent Care Clinics Has Some Primary Doctors Concerned

NEW YORK (CBSNewYork) -- Urgent care walk-in clinics are growing in popularity because of their convenience and immediate care, so much so that some patients have say farewell to their primary car doctors.

As CBS2's Hazel Sanchez reported, walk-in clinics like City MD, Cure Urgent Care, and North Shore LIJ GoHealth are going up in neighborhoods as fast as coffee shops.

"Oh yea, they're popping up all over," said Howard Finkel.

North Shore LIJ opened 18 GoHealth urgent care facilities in New York City, Long Island and Westchester in just 14 months.

Dr. Robert Korn said patients with less serious medical ailments are drawn to "care with convenience" -- no appointment necessary.

"Urgent care really fits the niche between the emergency department and your private doctor. We like to call it acute episodic care with a heart," Dr. Korn said.

"Then people have an option. They don't have to wait for a week," said Forest Hills resident Harriet Ingber.

Former emergency room doctor Jake Deutch founded Cure Urgent Care in New York because he said he saw the need for better care for patients low on the ER triage list who needed the right help.

"So for the lacerations, the urinary tract infections, ear aches, we become that intermediary when your doctors not available," Deutch said.

Dr. Michael Goldstein, president of the New York County Medical Society, said there is concern patients will replace their primary doctors with walk-in visits to urgent care.

"These are the patients that slip through the cracks. These are the patients that have cancers that don't get diagnosed. These are the patients that get heart disease that gets missed," Dr. Goldstein said.

"I prefer a private doctor. I like the specialized attention. I like a doctor to know me when I come in," said Jennifer.

The growth of urgent care is in no way slowing down either. North Shore LIJ plans to open up 20 more facilities in the New York Metropolitan area in the next year.