ER doctor-owned urgent care clinic to open in West Nashville

An urgent care clinic owned by local emergency room physicians is on track to open in West Nashville later this month.

Physicians Urgent Care will be open seven days a week for people who need treatment for minor issues for which an emergency room trip is not necessary, said Dr. Ty Babcock, managing partner and one of seven physician co-owners. 

The Charlotte Pike location, part of the H.G. Hill Park phase of the Nashville West development, is the chain's fourth clinic — and a completely new market for the physicians. There are two in Franklin, the first of which opened in 2011, and one in Brentwood. 

Babcock said West Nashville, where he lives, is ideal for a clinic because the area exploded in population and transformed in recent years. 

The team was looking for a place with visibility as well as easy parking and entry.  The clinic will be in a standalone building visible from the road and the Nashville West shopping center. 

"We think it has the potential to be one of our busiest clinics," he said.

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The physicians who founded the chain wanted to give people who need quick care a venue other than the emergency room for a variety of problems, including broken bones, cuts that need stitches and the flu. 

Six of the seven co-owners work in Saint Thomas Health emergency rooms, although there is no affiliation between the clinics and the health system, said Babcock. 

People often visit when they couldn't get a timely appointment with their primary care provider or because they haven't been able to find a primary care office taking new patients, Babcock said. 

The clinic encourages people to follow up on issues with primary care and doesn't want to be a primary care provider, Babcock said. But the urgent care clinic wants to be a resource for people who need treatment. 

"I think there are enough people that we need more clinics,” said Babcock. "You don’t see too many urgent care or providers going out of business."

With the increasing number of people in high deductible plans, there's a growing need for affordable places of care, he said. The clinics take most private insurance companies but not TennCare, and lists its self-pay prices online.

"Getting some medical care for something is better than getting no medial care at all,
our desire is not to do primary care,” said Babcock. "I think we do keep quite a few people out of the ER.”

Reach Holly Fletcher at hfletcher@tennessean.com or 615-259-8287 and on Twitter @hollyfletcher.