You don’t need to be in healthcare to realize that HBO Max’s The Pitt has become must-watch television, and it’s only partially because of its riveting pace and storylines. The Pitt shows what millions of Americans experience in real life. Emergency departments have been pushed beyond capacity with patients waiting hours for care that may not be truly emergent. The show’s chaotic hallways and overwhelmed staff aren’t just dramatic television but a reflection of a broken access point to our healthcare system.
The Pitt reflects very real challenges facing ERs across the country in the real world: overcrowding, chronic understaffing, long wait times, and patients who often require repeat care. ER workers are heroes, but the show showcases a hard truth: emergency departments were never designed to be healthcare’s front door, yet that’s exactly what they’ve become.
The solution isn’t more Dr. Robbys or bigger ERs, it’s reimagining how patients access care in the first place. Urgent care has the responsibility and means to become the accessible and appropriate front door that American healthcare desperately needs.
Urgent Care’s Role Has Expanded
Historically, urgent care filled an important but fairly narrow gap. If the emergency room felt excessive or a primary care appointment was not available, patients used urgent care for help. The visit was transactional. Treat the issue. Maybe make a referral. Then head home.
That role still matters, but it no longer reflects how people actually use healthcare.
Patients want speed, but they also want care that is connected. They want help when something goes wrong, but they also want support when they are trying to stay healthy and on top of their well-being.
That is where urgent care has a real opportunity.
With broad geographic reach, extended hours and walk-in availability, urgent care already serves as a trusted access point for millions of Americans. At American Family Care alone, our network of more than 400 walk-in clinics across the United States has delivered more than six million visits since January 2025 for a wide range of needs, from occupational medicine and pain management to physicals, flu, minor episodic issues and small injuries.
That kind of scale matters because it creates an opportunity to do more. Urgent care can help connect episodic care with broader, ongoing support in ways that make the system work better for patients. It can also help relieve pressure on both emergency departments and primary care practices, which badly need it. According to Becker’s Hospital Review, average ER wait times by state range from about 110 minutes in North Dakota to roughly 300 minutes in Washington, D.C.
That kind of variation says a lot about the pressure facing the system. It also reinforces why patients need better access points for care that is urgent, but not emergent.
A Good Example: Weight Management and GLP-1s
One clear example of this shift is weight management.
The rise of GLP-1 medications has changed the conversation around obesity and chronic disease. Originally approved to treat type 2 diabetes, these medications are now being used much more broadly for weight management, and that creates practical questions around access, monitoring and ongoing support.
Patients do not just need a prescription. They need responsible clinical oversight. They may need help with administration, follow-up, lab work, lifestyle support and regular check-ins. Too often, that means trying to navigate a system that is not built for easy, ongoing access.
Urgent care can help bridge that gap when the model is designed appropriately.
At AFC, we announced medically supervised weight management services at more than 30 franchise locations in March 2026. When clinically appropriate, GLP-1 medications may be prescribed based on clinical evaluation, FDA-approved indications and manufacturer guidelines. But medication is only part of the picture. Long-term outcomes also depend on diet, exercise, counseling, appropriate lab work and scheduled follow-up visits.
That is the bigger point. Patients are looking for trusted, accessible places to take control of their health. Healthcare providers should meet them there responsibly.
Medicine 3.0 and the Future of Access
Medicine 3.0 is increasingly becoming the term used to describe this broader evolution in healthcare. It emphasizes prevention, personalization and earlier intervention to improve long-term patient outcomes rather than waiting for diseases to appear. It is all about providing care for patients taking steps to prevent chronic, lifestyle-driven conditions like heart disease, diabetes and dementia.
Medicine 3.0 has been supported by advances in new technology like biomarkers, imaging, genetics, wearables and data analytics which enable earlier detections, but earlier intervention only works if patients can access care easily and consistently. That is where urgent care clinics like AFC can step in.
Urgent care clinics are well positioned to deliver this level of access. They can support prevention and chronic management without burdening emergency rooms or stretching primary care capacity. This expanded role might blur traditional lines of care, but when anchored in strong clinical standards, coordination and appropriate scope, urgent care only strengthens the system.
The Front Door Patients Are Already Using
The healthcare system does not need to convince patients to start using urgent care. They are already using it. The real question is whether the system will build around that reality intentionally.
Treating illness after it appears is no longer enough. Patients want access points that fit how they actually live and work. They want care that feels easier, faster and more connected. Urgent care is increasingly positioned to deliver exactly that.
The Pitt holds up a mirror to a healthcare system in crisis, but it also helps illuminate the path forward. Emergency departments will always be essential for true emergencies, but they can’t be the default entry point for millions seeking routine care. As viewers watch this week’s season finale, they’ll surely continue to see the competence and heroism of the ER staff, but they should also recognize the systemic failure that puts those workers in an impossible position.
The opportunity before us is clear: by intentionally building urgent care into a comprehensive, preventative-focused front door to healthcare, we can relieve the pressure on emergency departments, expand access for patients and create a system that works for the way people actually live.
The question isn’t whether healthcare needs a new front door. It’s whether we’ll invest in making urgent care everything patients need it to be.
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