New Research Reveals Point-Of-Care Ultrasound (POCUS) Clinically and Financially Viable in Urgent Care Settings

Co-authored by UCP Merchant Medicine's chief medical officer, the findings come on the heels of recent data showing remarkable increase in urgent care utilization, spending

NASHVILLE, Tenn., Feb. 11, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- UCP Merchant Medicine, the leading provider of consulting services and AI technology for Urgent Care, announced today new research published by The Journal of Urgent Care Medicine detailing the current use and financial viability of Point-of-care ultrasound (POCUS) in urgent care settings. Co-authored by Josh Russell, MD, MSc, the company's chief medical officer, the research looked at data from 10,000 patient encounters and concludes that POCUS – historically used in emergency department settings - is clinically and financially viable in urgent care centers.

Summarized in a paper titled "Algorithmic Prediction of Utilization and Financial Viability Modeling for Point-of-Care Ultrasound (POCUS) in Adult Urgent Care Centers," the research found that 922 – or 9.2% - of the reviewed 10,000 patient encounters conducted in urgent care settings would have been appropriate for POCUS use. Unlike traditional X-ray machines, POCUS devices are compact, easy to transport, technologically advanced, and do not use ionizing radiation, which has been linked to increased cancer risk.

The research findings support the healthcare industry's movement toward catering to patients and their preference for care that's not only high-quality, but timely and convenient. A report published last month by the Health Care Cost Institute (HCCI) found that urgent care visits increased 34.5% between 2018 and 2022, causing an astounding 50% soar in spending at urgent care centers during the same period.

"Having worked in urgent care for more than 15 years, I've been an advocate for POCUS' use for much of that time, and our research findings support my long-held belief that POCUS adoption would enhance clinical operations while being revenue neutral or positive in urgent care centers with typical volumes," said UCP Merchant Medicine Chief Medical Officer Dr. Josh Russell. "POCUS technology has improved significantly since the tool was introduced. Our hope is that these research findings will spur urgent care operators to revisit POCUS with fresh eyes and see many of the beliefs held about the tool have been dispelled, POCUS is a solution for the current X-ray tech shortage, and subsequently, improving operational efficiencies."

Key Things to Know about POCUS:

• Size – Handheld devices can fit in the pocket of clinicians' scrubs.
• Expense – Once costing upwards of $50,000, handheld POCUS are now around $5,000.
• Technology – Some POCUS devices have the ability to sync with clinicians' smartphones and use an iPad for a screen.
• Training – AI features guide novice clinicians on appropriate image acquisition, significantly cutting down the time and cost tied to training new users on the device.
• Data – The body of research for the utility of POCUS, including its accuracy for a variety of conditions, has ballooned over the past decade.

"We are continually identifying innovative ways to strengthen urgent care operations, and the value of point-of-care ultrasound is increasingly clear," said Brandon Robertson, Founder & President of UCP Merchant Medicine. "With radiologic technologists harder than ever to recruit and retain, many centers lack consistent access to X-ray. While POCUS does not solve every imaging need, it enables many essential imaging services without a dedicated rad tech, while improving margins, care quality, patient satisfaction, and door-to-door times. With artificial intelligence now integrated into POCUS, clinician adoption is easier than ever, enabling faster workflows and stronger clinical and financial outcomes."

UCP Merchant Medicine currently serves over 70 health systems across the U.S. The company's AI-based clinical solutions bring first of its kind data insights to health care organization leaders, allowing systems to break-even financially with just 16 urgent care patients a day, compared to the industry average of 43.

Research Methodology
The research was based on a retrospective observational study of 10,000 randomly selected UC patient encounters from 62 UC centers across 4 states. Charts were eligible for inclusion in adult patients (>17 years of age) and were randomly selected from a pool of more than 380,000 adult patient encounters from UC centers using Intellivisit (UCP Merchant Medicine, Minneapolis, Minnesota) from June 2023-November 2024. Intellivisit is an algorithmic clinical support software tool designed to enhance efficiency in UC settings. It collects de-identified data, including patient demographics, vital signs, chronic conditions, and pertinent symptoms (both present and absent), via a guided medical interview administered by a non-clinician staff member at the time of patient rooming.

About UCP Merchant Medicine and Intellivisit Solutions
UCP Merchant Medicine is the backbone behind some of the most successful urgent care platforms in the country. We partner with health systems and operators to build urgent care that works the way it should—lean, fast, and clinically precise at scale. Our strategic advisory services reshape front-end care delivery, integrating operational redesign with real-time clinical execution. The result: platforms that are easier to staff, simpler to manage, and consistently deliver high performance. Across 3 million+ annual visits, our model achieves an average 94 net promoter score and half the industry average financial breakeven at only 16 visits per day, with average door-to-door times of 34 minutes. At the center is Intellivisit Concierge—our clinical intelligence platform. More than decision support, it re-engineers intake, sharpens provider thinking, and ensures every patient encounter is aligned to clinical Standard Operating Procedures. Built on 40,000+ hours of physician-led development, it delivers structured, actionable insight—before the provider even walks into the room. Learn more at https://www.intellivisit.com/.

For more information about UCP Merchant Medicine and Intellivisit Solutions, contact:
Brandon Robertson
Founder & President, UCP Merchant Medicine and Intellivisit Solutions
(720) 281-0305         
[email protected]

For media inquiries, please contact: 
Kristin Faulder (on behalf of UCP Merchant Medicine)
(586) 419-4652
[email protected]

SOURCE UCP Merchant Medicine