Since our 2021 virtual lobby day during COVID, UCA has been steadily building momentum and raising our voice in Washington, D.C. What began as a small but determined effort has grown into a powerful movement- taking our fight directly to Capitol Hill, championing congressional letters, hiring a dedicated lobbying team, and pushing relentlessly for higher reimbursement and fair recognition for Urgent Care.
This journey is about more than policy. It’s about securing a seat at the table, making sure Urgent Care is represented when critical healthcare decisions are made. Every step forward reflects the passion, persistence, and power of our members who believe Urgent Care deserves a strong national voice.
This is a living document. Every step of the way will be documented here. So, take a look to see where we’ve been and check back regularly for updates.
In February 2026, 19 Urgent Care leaders, alongside corporate partners Solv and Abbott, conducted 39 meetings with congressional offices on Capitol Hill.
Discussions focused on healthcare affordability, access (particularly in rural communities) and ensuring patients receive care at the right site of service. A central message was that while Urgent Care lowers overall system costs and expands access, appropriate reimbursement is necessary to sustain that impact.
Congressional offices engaged substantively on UCA’s proposed Enhanced Place of Service code and add-on G-code, including questions related to Medicare impact and cost savings. These discussions marked continued progress from awareness-building toward policy-level evaluation.
UCA CEO Steve Sellars noted, “Our time on Capitol Hill reinforced that Urgent Care is a vital part of the solution to improving affordability and access to everyday healthcare… We invite all Urgent Care operators and industry partners to join us in advancing common-sense policies that support patients and the sustainability of our field.”
Follow-up efforts included building bipartisan support for a House letter to CMS and advancing data to support reimbursement reform.
Participants included: Cesar Mora Jaramillo, MD, FAAFP, FCUCM; Gerry Cvitanovich, MD; Jonathan S. Halpert, MD, FACEP; Noemy Pavon; Cassandra Donnelly, DO; Yancy Phillips, MD, MACP; Hector Cabrera, MD, MPH; Ryan Sadlier; Lou Ellen Horwitz; Jim Ashby; Chris Nugent, MBA, CRA, RT(R)(CT); Danielle Bynum, OMC; David Mathison, MD, MBA; Selena Gurley, MSN, FNP-C, CRHCP; David Pyle; Steven Hull; Boyd Faust; Beth Nelson; and Heather Mirjahangir
UCA submitted a formal comment letter to CMS-the next step in our push for higher Medicare reimbursement. We urged CMS to recognize the role of Enhanced Urgent Care Centers (eUCCs) in reducing ER strain, create a new eUCC place of service code, and establish a new G-code to reflect their higher costs and capabilities. These changes would strengthen Urgent Care, expand access, and support growth in underserved areas.
Several members and organizations submitted comments of their own, adding momentum to our advocacy. We are grateful for this collective effort and remain focused on securing policy changes in next year’s MPFS Proposed Rule.
CMS included us via another Request for Information (RFI), but this time, they used some really specific language. Language we have been using with them for the last couple of years. Think about it like this: Last year’s RFI felt like “Hey Urgent Care. We see you.” Now this year, it feels more like ” Hey Urgent Care. Let’s talk.”
Diving headfirst into the Advocacy deep end means we need to provide as many resources as possible to our members, so we created The Advocacy Podcast. A go-to source for what’s happening (and why it matters) in Urgent Care Advocacy. Whether you’re curious about federal policy or fired up about local issues, we’ve got something for you.
At the 2025 Convention, the Advocacy Hub got a fresh new look. UCA Advocacy joined forces with UCF, CAUCQ, CUCM, UCCOP, and UC Compass to become UC Central. Urgent Care faces many different challenges. That’s why collaborating in our Advocacy efforts and strengthening partnerships across our organizations has become essential and will remain a powerful tool in advancing our mission.
Senator Cassisy sends letter to CMS: Building on 2024’s House letter that prompted CMS to issue an RFI, and thanks largely to the leadership and relationships of Dr. Gerry Cvitanovich, Senator Bill Cassidy (R-LA) sent a solo letter to CMS urging adoption of our Urgent Care reimbursement recommendations. As a senior member of the Senate Finance and HELP Committees, his voice carries weight, and this milestone marked a major step forward for our cause.
2025’s Capitol Hill Advocacy Day was a major success, moving Urgent Care further into national healthcare discussions. Compared to 2023, lawmakers were more engaged-recognizing UC’s role in expanding access, reducing ER strain, and lowering costs.
Thirteen UCA members met with 31 key offices, including bipartisan Senate staff. This year marked our second lobby day with a formal “ask”: urging Senate offices to sign onto a congressional letter to CMS, pushing for policy change to secure higher Medicare reimbursements for Urgent Care. Conversations were productive, our credibility stronger than ever, and legislators requested more data to explore UC’s role in health systems, behavioral health, and rural care. A clear takeaway: we are being heard.
Thanks to strong preparation and advocacy, we’re making real progress.
Special thanks to our Advocacy sponsor, Solv, and to all our advocates. Your voices are shaping the future of Urgent Care.
CMS did not make any specific commitments to future changes, but acknowledged the feedback it received. And we were excited to see that UCA’s comment was the very first mentioned in the rule. Read the comment on page 612 within the rule, here.
“Comment: One commenter suggested that CMS create a payment structure in which urgent care centers are differentially compensated. In response to our question about the existing place of service codes, they stated that the current place of service (POS) definitions are inadequately differentiated, especially if CMS wishes to encourage proliferation of the type of urgent care centers that can provide suitable alternatives to EDs, noting that POS 11 generally refers to physician offices that provide diagnostic and therapeutic care in an office setting, by appointment, typically during regular business hours; POS 17 generally refers to clinics that are attached to retail operations, such as pharmacies, grocery stores or big box stores, and provide low-acuity primary and preventive health care, such as vaccinations; and POS 20 refers to UCCs but does not adequately differentiate between those that offer services more akin to the typical general practitioner’s office and those that offer enhanced diagnostic and therapeutic services and extended hours. They suggested that the creation of a new POS code describing “enhanced” urgent care centers that offer specific diagnostic and therapeutic services and that operate outside typical business hours could fill this need. In response to our question about the existing code set and valuation, they stated that Medicare’s fee-for-service payment systems do not recognize and adequately value services furnished in UCCs and stated that while there is some overlap in the types of professional services furnished in UCCs and physician offices, UCCs that operate for extended hours and that have enhanced diagnostic and therapeutic capabilities incur additional costs to provide these services.
Response: We thank the commenters for the detailed comments received on these topics and note that we may consider this input for potential policy proposals through future rulemaking.”
The Delegates Council held its first in-person meeting, bringing together grassroots leaders from across the country. UCA recognized that to truly move the needle, we need to prioritize advocacy not just nationally, but regionally too, and this group is leading the charge. We tackled tough issues, brainstormed coalition strategies, and found common ground (sprinkled with plenty of laughs along the way).
"Who says Advocacy can’t be fun? I feel so fortunate to have collaborated with such amazing professionals. We left Miami energized and ready to continue championing Urgent Care. Cheers to this new chapter in Urgent Care Advocacy, and a big thank you to everyone who attended. We’re on the path to achieving amazing things!"
After months and months of conversations with CMS, countless emails and plenty of sleepless nights, CMS included Urgent Care in the proposed rule via a Request for Information (RFI). RFIs are CMS’s way of asking for the public’s feedback on things they are thinking about making changes on. This time they were asking questions such as: what types of services would alternative settings to EDs need to offer to meet non-emergent but urgent needs of patients? Does Place of Service (POS) 20 accurately describe services performed in Urgent Care settings? Does the existing code set value services performed and costs incurred by Urgent Care centers?
These questions were music to our ears! Finally, someone asking the right questions. Now we’re getting somewhere…
The UCA team, together with our lobbyist McDermott+, sent a pre-rulemaking letter to CMS leaders. That letter did more than echo the benefits of Urgent Care- it proposed an Request for Information (RFI) for the upcoming Physician Fee Schedule (PFS) Proposed Rule, which we hoped would be a straightforward addition (spoiler: we were right. It was!)
What happens in Vegas doesn’t always stay in Vegas! Based on discussions at the Advocacy Hub, those who attended The Urgent Care Convention left not only Recharged but inspired about UCA’s federal advocacy work. Many attendees shared their own experiences and challenges and offered to lend a hand.
CMS responded to the leads of February’s bipartisan House letter. Read their response to Rep. Steve Scalise here.
UCA lobbyist McDermott+ submitted Questions for the Record (QFRs) during FY 2025 budget hearings with Secretary Becerra. These efforts kept us engaged with CMS and opened the door for further discussions on improving reimbursement rates for Urgent Care services.
Congressional letter delivered to CMS Administrator calling for policy changed to promote better access to Urgent Care.
It takes a village (or a national group of Urgent Care organizations) to do the work needed to meet our goal of securing higher reimbursement. So, UCA created v1 of our Grassroots Guide to offer templates, how to’s and ideas for members that want to engage in advocacy efforts on a regional level.
November 2023 was a busy month…
On November 3, we held our first meeting with the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Innovation (CMMI), where senior leaders-including the Deputy Administrator, Chief Strategy and Quality Officers, and several Deputy Directors-participated. We made the same pitch as with CMS: partnering to expand Urgent Care’s role in reducing ER visits, lowering costs, and improving access.
CMMI leaders were engaged and asked thoughtful questions, but signaled Urgent Care was unlikely to be a priority in the coming year. This marked our final regulatory-only step before moving to the
Urgent Care leaders met in Washington with our lobbyist McDermott+ to prepare our Hill “ask”: for House members to sign onto a letter led by Rep. Ann Kuster (D-NH) urging CMS to work with UCA to reduce unnecessary ER visits.
The next day, seven groups, each supported by McDermott+, visited 40 congressional offices. The meetings went very well, with strong interest in our House letter and widespread recognition of Urgent Care’s role. Follow-up efforts are underway to secure at least 30 House signatures before the letter goes to CMS early next year.
We are grateful to the Urgent Care leaders who joined us in Washington and to our event sponsors, Abbott and Solv.
Because Advocacy required full-time focus, we brought on Kristin Rastatter as UCA’s dedicated Advocacy Manager.
More Advocacy work means the need for more visibility. Keeping members informed is a top priority. Starting monthly newsletters and regular email alerts was a great way to do just that.
