Hello friendly faces! It’s that time of the week! We’re back with a new CNSM spotlight brought to you in part by Mary Gifford of Gifford Law.
This week we have a special Meet a Dad feature for you. Winnetka dad of three, Hunter Davis is in the business of keeping people healthy. With three locations (most recent opening in Highland Park) and two more about to open in 2024, PromptMed Urgent Care offers families a convenient and exceptional place for care of you and your child. The founder and CEO began his journey with PromptMed in 2014 with a mission to, “Deliver patient-centric healthcare services in an affordable, timely, high quality and convenient setting, utilizing the latest procedures and technologies, to meet the needs of patients and make a difference in the communities we serve.”
Get to know Hunter and more about PromptMed Urgent Care, what services and diagnostics are available, what sets this urgent care facility apart from the ER and pediatrician’s office, health insurance and payment options available and common urgent care objections. Welcome, Hunter!
Hi Hunter! Please introduce yourself. Where are you from originally? What city do you live in now? What brought you here?
Hi, I’m Hunter Davis, I’m the President & CEO of PromptMed Urgent Care, an independent operator of urgent care walk-in medical clinics that I founded in 2014. We currently have three locations – Antioch, Gurnee/Waukegan, and Highland Park – with plans to further expand and open our fourth and fifth locations in Grayslake and Huntley, respectively, in 2024.
I was born and raised in Savannah, GA before moving to Peoria, IL at age thirteen. My wife, Heather, and I met and dated in Chicago, before moving to Winnetka over six years ago. We love living on the north shore, in close proximity to Lake Michigan and the City of Chicago, surrounded by great schooling options – all factors that led us to choose Winnetka when we were deciding where to raise our family.
Tell us about your children!
Heather and I have been blessed with three amazing boys ages 8, 6 and 2. As the youngest of three boys and fond of my own childhood with my two older brothers, I am thrilled my boys now get to experience many of the same bonding moments and brotherly dynamics that I cherished growing up. Outside of school our boys actively participate in multiple sports, which Heather and I love because it keeps them busy and should keep them out of trouble as they get older! Fortunately, living on the north shore, there is never a shortage of sporting options offered for kids – on a typical weekend between September and May you’ll find Heather and me splitting the boys up and each taking them to their respective sporting events, hoping we’ll have time to meet back up for lunch in the middle of the afternoon.
I’ve also had the privilege of coaching my two older sons the last few years in flag football. So many memories are created on the football field with friends, so I’m grateful that I get to share in those experiences as they get older.
What are one or two fun facts to know about you?
I love traveling! I’ve been to 6 of the 7 continents (Antarctica of course is the lone holdout) and over 60 different countries. And while I always enjoy seeing new places and learning new cultures, nothing ever beats being in the United States, at home in Winnetka.
Where do you love to dine?
The North Shore restaurant scene has drastically improved since we moved to Winnetka in early 2017. We are walking distance to Pomeroy, so this gem has become our “go-to” spot whenever we have friends or family in town. And as my staff can attest, I am a loyal consumer of Starbucks – you can often find me in there each morning before our kids school starts, picking up drinks for me and Heather.
At work in Highland Park, I often grab lunch at Michael’s – there’s a reason it’s been a staple of downtown Highland Park for so long.
Your profession is that of keeping people healthy. That said, what is your mantra?
“Patient Focus” – our patients and their families deserve the best healthcare experience we can provide; we are committed to not only providing a positive customer experience for every patient we serve, but also exceeding their expectations.
It’s time to get down to business. Please introduce PromptMed Urgent Care.
PromptMed Urgent Care is an independent operator of urgent care (also referred to as “immediate care”) walk-in medical clinics that I founded in 2014. We currently have three locations – Gurnee/Waukegan (opened December 2014), Antioch (June 2019) and Highland Park (April 2023) – with plans to further expand and open our fourth and fifth locations in Grayslake and Huntley, respectively, in 2024.
As the Founder, my role has certainly evolved over time as we’ve grown. Currently, I’m focusing my time on hiring exceptional personnel that will provide the best patient experience, and providing the company with direction as we continue to grow the business.
What is your background that led to your work with PromptMed Urgent Care?
Prior to graduating from The Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania (MBA), I worked for a healthcare services private equity firm where I first became familiar with the urgent care sector and started to recognize the compelling value proposition the industry provides for all key constituents – patients, insurance company and providers. After graduating business school, I wanted to start my own business and realized there was a huge need for independent urgent care in northern Illinois. I say “independent” because we aren’t affiliated or tied to any health system. The advantage of this is twofold: 1) if we have to send a patient to a specialist or an outside provider, we are agnostic where they go, and will provide our own input but also take in to consideration the preferences of the patient – ultimately we are not going to push patients down a path inside a hospital system that the patient themselves may not be inclined to choose if given the choice in the beginning. And 2) our charge rates are on average much lower than what hospital systems charge, plus we don’t add on a “facility fee” which you will often see when visiting a hospital affiliated urgent care center and can quickly double the amount a patient owes!
What conditions does PromptMed diagnose/treat?
As an urgent care/immediate care facility, we are equipped to see higher acuity issues and concerns than what a retail clinic (CVS, Walgreens, etc.) or most primary care groups can see, but we aren’t equipped to see life-threatening emergencies that should be seen in the ER.
Some common illnesses/injuries we treat:
- Respiratory infections – flu, strep, covid, RSV, etc.
- Colds / fevers
- Earaches
- Urinary tract infections
- Allergic reactions
- Rashes
- Sprains & strains
- Minor fractures
- Acute pains
- Dislocations
- Cuts / lacerations
- Wounds / burns
And some of the services that we provide:
- Digital x-rays
- Sutures / stitches
- EKG
- Lab testing
- Minor surgical procedures
- Physicals
- Immunizations / vaccines
- Breathing treatments
- Ear lavage
Does your facility have lab diagnostics and xrays capabilities?
Yes, we have both! All of our clinics have on-site CLIA-waived labs with point-of-care rapid in-house testing for respiratory illnesses such as strep, flu, covid, RSV plus other blood and urine related tests. Each of our clinics also has digital x-ray capabilities with all x-ray images being read not only by our providers on-site, but we also have an outside radiology firm read and interpret all images within a half hour.
What insurance companies does PromptMed Urgent Care work with?
PromptMed Urgent Care accepts most major commercial insurance plans – BCBS, United Healthcare, Aetna, Cigna, Humana – to name a few, plus Medicare and Tricare. At this time, we are not in-network with state Medicaid plans. We also offer discounted self-pay rates with office visits at $125 (other ancillary services such as x-rays, diagnostic testing and procedures are extra).
There seems to be a recent uptick in urgent care facilities. Why do you think this is so?
There are currently over 14,000 urgent care centers in the U.S. and the number of new centers is growing at approximately 7%. Urgent care bridges the gap between primary care and emergency care, providing evaluation and care for urgent, but not emergent, conditions. The value proposition of urgent care is so compelling, particularly juxtaposed to primary care and the ER, because it provides 1) increased access – high quality and fast, convenient care with no appointment required thus providing immediate treatment; 2) a lower cost of care to both patients and payers versus traditional hospital based-ER’s. The average gross charge in the urgent care setting is typically 1/4th or less of the charge in a hospital ER setting for the exact same treatment; And 3) it’s a more appropriate setting because nearly half of all hospital ER visits could have been seen in an urgent care setting, thus saving the overall health care system billions annually and patients own time waiting in the ER. For all of these reasons the urgent care sector continues to be an attractive option to patients.
How have you been overcoming the objection that parents should take their children only to their pediatrician’s office or pediatrician’s urgent care facility?
Parents should take their children to their pediatricians’ office when dealing with any chronic or ongoing health issues. For episodic or acute concerns though – suspected strep throat, pink eye, sprained ankle or small laceration, etc – we offer an affordable and convenient alternative. Many times parents can’t get same-day appointments with their pediatric office. We are a walk-in clinic with no appointments necessary, and get patients in/out on average in under an hour. We’re open 7 days a week, extended hours into the evenings and on weekends (Monday – Friday: 8am-8pm / Saturday & Sunday: 9am-5pm). We work in tandem with pediatric or primary care offices, seeing patients and then sending over medical records to their care team when requested.
What’s next with PromptMed Urgent Care?
We are always looking for local markets in Northern Illinois to expand to, where we can bring our convenient, fast, affordable urgent care model and be a valued resource to the communities that we serve.
Is there anything else you’d like us to know about yourself or PromptMed Urgent Care?
PromptMed Urgent Care was founded under a simple premise: Deliver patient-centric healthcare services in an affordable, timely, high quality and convenient setting, utilizing the latest procedures and technologies, to meet the needs of patients and make a difference in the communities we serve. Ultimately, we believe our “patient focus” core values will help us achieve our mission and the best patient outcomes, while providing the best customer service experience possible.
About our Meet of Mom Sponsor
A very heartfelt thank you to CNSMoms’ Meet a Mom sponsor, Lake Forest mom of three and owner of Gifford Law, a solo Estate Planning Firm (wills and trusts). Mary, we appreciate your support of local moms in our North Shore communities! Learn more about Mary by visiting her Meet a Mom spotlight here! Contact Mary directly here: [email protected].
