Who is buying urgent care centers?
18 named consolidator platforms are actively acquiring US urgent care businesses; 10 of them are private-equity-backed. The most recent named acquisition tracked on this page closed in September 2026.
Why urgent care centers are consolidating
- •The US had 14,655 urgent care centers as of April 1, 2026, and the 100 largest operators ran 6,056 of them (41.3%), according to the Journal of Urgent Care Medicine's 2026 Urgent Care Top 100.
- •The largest single operator, American Family Care, had 409 locations, ahead of HCA Healthcare (386) and GoHealth Urgent Care (369), according to the Journal of Urgent Care Medicine's 2026 Urgent Care Top 100.
- •Private equity backed 2,622 urgent care rooftops, or 18% of the nation's 14,423 centers, as of May 12, 2025, up 11% from 2,359 in April 2024, according to the Journal of Urgent Care Medicine.
- •In January 2025 there were 15,032 open urgent care centers, 39% of them owned by or affiliated with a hospital or health system, and 670 new centers opened in 2024, according to the Urgent Care Association's State of Urgent Care 2025.
- •Hospital affiliation is the dominant model among large operators: 55.9% of Top 100 locations have a health-system relationship, according to the Journal of Urgent Care Medicine's 2026 Urgent Care Top 100.
The platforms consolidating urgent care centers
The named groups acquiring US urgent care businesses, with their current owner and a source for each. Most grow through individual partnerships that are not separately disclosed; where a platform publishes named deals, recent ones are listed.
| Acquirer | Owner / backer | Type | Headquarters | Latest named deal |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| HCA Healthcare (CareNow, MD Now) | Publicly traded (HCA Healthcare, Inc.) | Strategic / public | Nashville, TN | Aug 2026 |
| American Family Care (AFC Urgent Care) | Lorient Capital | Franchisor | Birmingham, AL | Feb 2025 |
| GoHealth Urgent Care | TPG (TPG Growth) | Private equity | Atlanta, GA | Feb 2026 |
| Fast Pace Health | Revelstoke Capital Partners | Private equity | Franklin, TN | — |
| WellStreet Urgent Care | FFL Partners | Private equity | Atlanta, GA | Jul 2025 |
| WellNow Urgent Care | The Aspen Group (TAG), owned by Leonard Green & Partners, Ares Management and American Securities | Private equity | Chicago, IL | — |
| CRH Healthcare (Peachtree Immediate Care) | Freeman Spogli & Co. | Private equity | Atlanta, GA | Sep 2024 |
| PM Pediatric Care | Scopia Capital (lead) and Jefferson River Capital | Private equity | Long Island, NY | Jul 2024 |
| Integrity Care Group (formerly Xpress Wellness) | Goldman Sachs Alternatives | Private equity | Oklahoma City, OK | Jan 2025 |
| Bon Secours Mercy Health (Mercy Health / Bon Secours Urgent Care) | Bon Secours Mercy Health (Catholic non-profit health system) | Strategic / family-owned | Blue Ash, OH | Apr 2025 |
| Northwest Urgent Care (Community Health Systems) | Publicly traded (NYSE: CYH) | Strategic / public | Franklin, TN | Dec 2024 |
| Ardent Health | Publicly traded (IPO July 2024) | Strategic / public | Brentwood, TN | Jan 2025 |
| Prisma Health (Prisma Health Urgent Care) | Prisma Health (non-profit health system) | Strategic / family-owned | Greenville, SC | Sep 2026 |
| Covenant Health Urgent Care | Covenant Health (non-profit), in a joint venture with Urgent Care Group | Strategic / family-owned | Knoxville, TN | Feb 2026 |
| CareFirst Urgent Care | Independent (founded 2011 by Chetan Gupta, MD) | Strategic / family-owned | Cincinnati, OH | Feb 2025 |
| vybe urgent care | NewSpring Capital | Private equity | Berwyn, PA | Jul 2026 |
| ExperCARE Urgent & Primary Care | Seven Hills Capital | Private equity | Savannah, GA | Mar 2026 |
| MyTown Health Partners | Webster Equity Partners | Private equity | Pittsburgh, PA | Mar 2024 |
HCA Healthcare (CareNow, MD Now)
Strategic / public- Owner
- Publicly traded (HCA Healthcare, Inc.)
- Headquarters
- Nashville, TN
- Scale
- more than 430 urgent care centers nationwide (Fierce Healthcare, Aug 2026); 386 in JUCM's April 2026 Top 100
Deals close through HCA affiliates. Of the 40 Texas MedClinic centers, 18 went to Methodist Healthcare (a San Antonio system co-owned by HCA), 14 to St. David's HealthCare and 8 to HCA Houston Healthcare. Avecina went to MD Now and CommunityMed to Medical City Healthcare.
American Family Care (AFC Urgent Care)
Franchisor- Owner
- Lorient Capital
- Headquarters
- Birmingham, AL
- Scale
- 409 locations, 16 hospital-affiliated (JUCM Top 100, Apr 2026)
AFC runs corporate-owned and franchised clinics. A franchisee, Freedom Health Holdings, owns and operates the five Physician One centers. JUCM's 2025 table also places Midwest Express Clinic under Lorient (467 locations combined).
GoHealth Urgent Care
Private equity- Owner
- TPG (TPG Growth)
- Headquarters
- Atlanta, GA
- Scale
- 369 locations, all hospital-affiliated or joint venture (JUCM Top 100, Apr 2026)
Operates through health-system joint ventures (UPMC, Community Health Network, Novant, UCSF Health and others). Not affiliated with GoHealth, Inc., the Chicago Medicare insurance marketplace that went through Chapter 11 in 2026. TPG ownership rests on GoHealth's own Jan 2024 release ('portfolio company of TPG Growth') and JUCM's May 2025 table. No later sale was found (medium confidence).
Fast Pace Health
Private equity- Owner
- Revelstoke Capital Partners
- Headquarters
- Franklin, TN
- Scale
- over 300 locations (Matthews offering memorandum, Jul 2026); 288 in JUCM's April 2026 Top 100
Revelstoke is also listed on its own portfolio page. No dated 2024–2026 acquisitions were found. Its last known add-on was First Care Clinics (Kentucky and Indiana) in 2022. JUCM's count includes the Christian Family Medicine & Pediatrics and Reelfoot brands.
WellStreet Urgent Care
Private equity- Owner
- FFL Partners
- Headquarters
- Atlanta, GA
- Scale
- 165 locations, all hospital-affiliated (JUCM Top 100, Apr 2026)
WellStreet builds and runs urgent care for health-system partners (Piedmont, Corewell Health, University Hospitals, Prisma Health), so its deals close under the partner's brand. Its site reposted Prisma's Sept 2026 agreement to buy 36 Novant centers, but the release does not state any WellStreet role.
WellNow Urgent Care
Private equity- Owner
- The Aspen Group (TAG), owned by Leonard Green & Partners, Ares Management and American Securities
- Headquarters
- Chicago, IL
- Scale
- 159 locations, 15 hospital-affiliated (JUCM Top 100, Apr 2026)
Seller rather than buyer: Bloomberg reported in July 2026 that TAG dropped its planned sale of WellNow, and its lenders hired lawyers. WellNow sold 32 Ohio centers to Hometown Urgent Care in 2024. No 2024–2026 purchases were found.
CRH Healthcare (Peachtree Immediate Care)
Private equity- Owner
- Freeman Spogli & Co.
- Headquarters
- Atlanta, GA
- Scale
- 100 locations across Georgia, Florida and Maryland (Nov 2025)
Peachtree Immediate Care is the exclusive urgent care partner of the Emory Healthcare Network. CRH sold its three north Alabama Urgent Medcare clinics to AFC in Oct 2024. Its growth since then has come from new openings.
PM Pediatric Care
Private equity- Owner
- Scopia Capital (lead) and Jefferson River Capital
- Headquarters
- Long Island, NY
- Scale
- 83 locations, 19 hospital-affiliated (JUCM Top 100, Apr 2026)
Pediatric-only operator. Scopia led a $50M Series E equity round in June 2023; the sources do not say whether it holds control (medium confidence). JUCM's 2025 table lists Scopia and Jefferson River as its investors.
Integrity Care Group (formerly Xpress Wellness)
Private equity- Owner
- Goldman Sachs Alternatives
- Headquarters
- Oklahoma City, OK
- Scale
- more than 80 locations across Texas, Oklahoma and Kansas (Aug 2026)
Xpress Wellness renamed its parent company Integrity Care Group in Aug 2026, effective Sept 1. Goldman Sachs Alternatives bought it from Latticework Capital Management in May 2024. The company calls itself a Goldman Sachs Sustainable Investment Fund company.
Bon Secours Mercy Health (Mercy Health / Bon Secours Urgent Care)
Strategic / family-owned- Owner
- Bon Secours Mercy Health (Catholic non-profit health system)
- Headquarters
- Blue Ash, OH
- Scale
- 76 urgent care locations, all hospital-affiliated (JUCM Top 100, Apr 2026; excludes AFC franchised locations)
Non-profit health system. The schema has no non-profit category, so it is typed Strategic / family-owned. The Cincinnati Business Courier reported in Jan 2025 that BSMH was moving back to its Blue Ash headquarters. JUCM notes that it also holds AFC franchised locations.
Northwest Urgent Care (Community Health Systems)
Strategic / public- Owner
- Publicly traded (NYSE: CYH)
- Headquarters
- Franklin, TN
- Scale
- 46 urgent care locations, all hospital-affiliated (JUCM Top 100, Apr 2026)
The deal closed through Northwest Urgent Care, LLC, a Tucson subsidiary of CHS. Same-name trap: Freeman Health System's June 2026 purchase of 'Northwest Health' was a different CHS business, in Arkansas.
Ardent Health
Strategic / public- Owner
- Publicly traded (IPO July 2024)
- Headquarters
- Brentwood, TN
- Scale
- 36 urgent care locations, all hospital-affiliated (JUCM Top 100, Apr 2026)
Ardent says it bought nine urgent care centers in East Texas and Topeka, KS in 2024. Only the six East Texas clinics are named in the sources read. Of the NextCare clinics, six New Mexico sites joined Lovelace Health System.
Prisma Health (Prisma Health Urgent Care)
Strategic / family-owned- Owner
- Prisma Health (non-profit health system)
- Headquarters
- Greenville, SC
- Scale
- Not disclosed (pending deal adds 36 South Carolina locations)
Pending: the deal is expected to close Nov 1, 2026, with about 500 team members moving to Prisma. Prisma is one of WellStreet's partner brands. The schema has no non-profit category, so it is typed Strategic / family-owned.
Covenant Health Urgent Care
Strategic / family-owned- Owner
- Covenant Health (non-profit), in a joint venture with Urgent Care Group
- Headquarters
- Knoxville, TN
- Scale
- 9 urgent care locations in Tennessee (Feb 2026)
The joint venture with Urgent Care Group launched in Aug 2023. JUCM's 2025 table lists Urgent Care Group as backed by ICV Partners. Urgent Care Group separately sold 17 Carolinas clinics to HCA in June 2026.
CareFirst Urgent Care
Strategic / family-owned- Owner
- Independent (founded 2011 by Chetan Gupta, MD)
- Headquarters
- Cincinnati, OH
- Scale
- 44 locations in Ohio, Kentucky and Nevada (JUCM Top 100, Apr 2026; company site)
No private-equity sponsor was found. The company calls itself the largest independent urgent care provider in Cincinnati (medium confidence on ownership).
vybe urgent care
Private equity- Owner
- NewSpring Capital
- Headquarters
- Berwyn, PA
- Scale
- 18 centers in greater Philadelphia (Jul 2026)
Live Oak Bank provided growth-oriented debt financing alongside the July 2026 deal. Both Liberty centers are being rebranded as vybe.
ExperCARE Urgent & Primary Care
Private equity- Owner
- Seven Hills Capital
- Headquarters
- Savannah, GA
- Scale
- 16 locations (JUCM PE table, May 2025)
After Hours Clinic kept its name and staff after the sale. ExperCARE operates in Georgia and Alabama.
MyTown Health Partners
Private equity- Owner
- Webster Equity Partners
- Headquarters
- Pittsburgh, PA
- Scale
- 13 urgent care locations (JUCM PE table, May 2025)
A practice management organization formed by Webster Equity Partners. PitchBook also lists Churchill, Constitution Capital and HLM as investors, so Webster's control is medium confidence.
Selling in your state?
What urgent care businesses sell for, who is buying, and how many there are, state by state.
Frequently asked
Who are the largest urgent care operators in the US?
As of April 1, 2026, the largest operators by location count were American Family Care (409), HCA Healthcare (386), GoHealth Urgent Care (369), Fast Pace Health (288) and CityMD Urgent Care (189), according to JUCM's 2026 Top 100. HCA has since passed 430 centers, after buying Texas MedClinic's 40 locations in August 2026 (Fierce Healthcare).
How much of the urgent care industry does private equity own?
About 18%. As of May 12, 2025, private equity backed 2,622 of the nation's 14,423 urgent care centers, up from 2,359 in April 2024 (JUCM). By location count, the largest private equity investors were Lorient Capital (467, through American Family Care and Midwest Express Clinic), Revelstoke (317, Fast Pace Health) and TPG (304, GoHealth Urgent Care).
Are hospitals buying urgent care centers?
Yes, and hospital ties are now the dominant model. The Urgent Care Association counted 39% of centers as hospital-owned or hospital-affiliated in January 2025. JUCM found that 55.9% of Top 100 locations had a health-system relationship in 2026. Recent hospital buyers include HCA, Prisma Health (36 South Carolina centers from Novant, announced September 2026), Bon Secours (12 MedExpress centers in Virginia, March 2025) and Saint Francis Health System (9 MedWise centers in Oklahoma, April 2026).
Do buyers acquire small urgent care practices, or only chains?
Small groups sell too. Covenant Health bought the two-location Lakeway Urgent Care in Tennessee (February 2026), and vybe urgent care bought Liberty Urgent Care's two Pennsylvania centers (July 2026). Xpress Wellness bought a single QuickVisit clinic in Bonham, Texas (January 2025), and CRH Healthcare bought the former Reddy Urgent Care location in Hartwell, Georgia (June 2024). JUCM says private equity platforms grew partly through smaller bolt-on acquisitions.
Will my clinic keep its name and staff after a sale?
It depends on the buyer. After Hours Clinic kept its name and staff after ExperCARE bought it in 2026, and K+STAT kept its name under Via Christi in 2024. Many acquired centers are rebranded: MedPlus became Piedmont Urgent Care, Texas MedClinic joined HCA's CareNow network, and Liberty's centers are becoming vybe locations. Prisma Health said about 500 team members will join it with the 36 Novant centers.
Who buys pediatric urgent care centers?
In July 2024, two pediatric operators each bought a network of Pediatrix clinics. PM Pediatric Care, backed by Scopia Capital and Jefferson River Capital, bought 10 former Night Lite Pediatrics sites in Florida. Urgent Care for Kids bought 11 former NightLight Pediatrics clinics in Houston, which brought it to 23 Texas clinics.
Methodology & sources
Compiled and adversarially re-checked on Oct 5, 2026. Platforms come from JUCM's 2025 private equity ownership table and its 2026 Top 100. The Top 100 table was read from the PDF itself, not the image-only web page. Each owner was then checked against sponsor portfolio pages, company releases and trade press. The re-check used 42 Parallel searches and about 45 pages read in full with WebFetch, plus search excerpts where a page returned 403 (Becker's, Fierce, Business Wire). Deals are named US urgent care acquisitions announced or closed from January 2024 to October 2026, with the target's location as the source states it. Joint-venture and non-profit buyers are typed by the health system, because the schema has no non-profit category. Platform revenue and EBITDA are excluded.
Market sources
- JUCM, The 2026 Urgent Care Top 100 By Number of Locations (May 2026) ↗
- JUCM, Private Equity Investment In Urgent Care, By Number Of Centers, 2025 (July-August 2025 issue) ↗
- Urgent Care Association, State of Urgent Care 2025 ↗
Last updated October 6, 2026. Platform ownership last verified October 6, 2026. Ownership in this sector changes frequently; figures reflect the most recent public sources available and are not investment, legal, or tax advice.
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