HCA Healthcare acquires 17 urgent care centres across the Carolinas

US hospital operator HCA Healthcare has expanded its ambulatory care network through the acquisition of 17 urgent care centres across North and South Carolina.

According to a report by Modern Healthcare, HCA Healthcare purchased the centres from Urgent Care Group, with locations spanning Charleston, Columbia, Myrtle Beach, and Spartanburg in South Carolina, as well as Wilmington in North Carolina. Financial terms of the deal were not disclosed.

The South Carolina centres will be rebranded under the HCA CareNow name, while the North Carolina clinics will retain the Medac brand currently used by Urgent Care Group. Nashville, Tennessee-based HCA said the acquisition strengthens its presence across the Carolinas region.

The deal builds on a sustained period of capital commitment in South Carolina, where HCA Healthcare has invested more than $800 million (€713 million) over the past five years. Its existing footprint in the state includes four acute-care hospitals, a behavioural health hospital, and eight freestanding emergency rooms, meaning the urgent care additions slot into an already substantial regional infrastructure spanning multiple care settings and patient pathways.

The acquisition reflects a broader pattern among large integrated health systems of extending their reach into lower-acuity, community-facing care environments. Urgent care centres offer health systems a cost-effective mechanism for capturing patient volume earlier in the care journey, reducing pressure on emergency departments and creating referral pathways into higher-acuity services within the same network.

For private healthcare operators, the move underscores how ambulatory expansion is becoming a central pillar of competitive strategy, particularly in markets where patient choice and access to convenient, timely care are increasingly driving provider selection. Retaining the established Medac brand in North Carolina further suggests a deliberate approach to preserving local patient trust while integrating the centres into a national system.

Access the full details of the HCA Healthcare acquisition and its regional implications in the complete report.