New Venture to Open 50 IMC Urgent Care Centers

ATLANTA, GA, December 12, 2010 (Press-News.org) Upscale urgent care center chain, Immediate MedCare, LLC (IMC), and Claxton Medical, Inc. have entered an agreement to form a Limited Liability Company to own and operate at least 50 new urgent care centers, bringing IMC's goal of 100 centers closer to fruition.

Under this new venture, Claxton Medical (A division of real estate powerhouse The Claxton Group) will develop and provide funding for at least fifty (50) of the Immediate MedCare (IMC) brand centers, which are defined by upscale amenities and the most high-end medical technology, including paperless systems. "The Claxton family is happy and proud to be involved and invested in the very bright future of Immediate MedCare," said owner, Eric Claxton. IMC will operate these new centers according to its proven business model. (Two IMC centers currently enjoy successful operations in Ellijay, Georgia and in Blue Ridge, Georgia.)

The immediate expansion of the IMC chain will make it one of the largest urgent care companies in the nation. Development of the new centers will be by "pods" of four proximate sites per market area, rather than by individual center. This expansion method will allow IMC to benefit from shared costs relating to certain professionals working within the pod, such as, practice administration, billing and marketing and to pass those savings on to area patients and employers.

Although there is no anticipated geographic limitation to these new centers, its locations are predominately planned for the southeastern United States. Each center's real estate will be sold by Lynx Real Estate, Inc. after development is complete for each of the 50-plus centers. Each IMC center will then remain a tenant of the property. "We are excited to be a partner in this venture and look forward to helping both parties achieve their goals," stated Andy Sutton of Lynx Real Estate, Inc.

IMC had already launched into development under a plan to open 50 centers with Capstone Properties, of which the first the Ellijay, Georgia location is the first. The additional 50 properties to now be developed with new partner, Claxton, will make 100 IMC centers a reality, which will likely then make it the largest chain of true (as defined by the Urgent Care Association of America) urgent care centers in the Southeast and possibly in the nation.

Unique Business Model Fills Void of Affordable, Upscale Care:

IMC centers provide a medical alternative to long waits in emergency rooms or when primary care physicians' offices need after hours coverage or are too busy for walk-ins. In contrast to other urgent care centers, the Immediate MedCare model offers an upscale alternative, complete with cable TV in exam rooms, free refreshments, including Starbucks coffee in large, well-appointed reception areas. Prepaid monthly healthcare plans that relieve the family healthcare cost burden or supplement it, along with convenient, onsite physician dispensing through InstyMeds are additional examples of the progressive features of IMC centers. The extensive use of high-tech, paperless, communications systems cuts down on billing and medical errors, gives the doctor and staff more "face time" with the patients and controls costs for patients, payers, and corporate HR executives. This lowers the cost of care and allows these upscale centers to be affordable and provide better service and short or no wait times.

Using HIPAA-compliant, paperless systems, including electronic medical records, and automated billing through the "Patient Portal", patients can request and review lab reports, examine statements, request prescription refills, enter or modify personal information, view a list of current and past referrals and more—
all from the comfort and convenience of their home or work computer.

The immediate MedCare model also benefits physicians and hospitals in each local area as patients are regularly referred to a doctor or specialist of their choice, insurance panel, or worker's compensation insurance firm, at leading hospital partners. Currently: Fannin Regional, Piedmont Mountainside, Kennestone and its Wellstar affiliates, Atlanta Medical Center, Children's Hospital, Emory, Northside, Piedmont's main campus, and St. Joseph's, Tenet Heathcare Corporation, Community Health Systems, and others are IMC partner hospitals.

"Immediate MedCare is excited to be able to bring a new level of health care to more areas of the Southeast, thanks to our alliance with Claxton Medical," says IMC CEO, Jordan Rice. "Now, more patients will have the opportunity to be treated like VIPs affordably, at our upscale centers."

IMC centers are staffed with board-certified physicians, physician extenders and others skilled in all aspects of ambulatory urgent care and are open seven days a week, with extended hours of 8 AM to 8 PM Monday to Friday, 9 AM to 5 PM Saturday and Noon to 5 PM Sunday. Insurance is accepted as well as worker's compensation.

For more information on this new business venture, which promises to bring upscale, urgent care to the masses, or to schedule interviews with the parties involved, please contact Public Relations 3.0, Angela Braden at (310) 309-7046 or angela@publicrelations30.com.

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