Biographical Links: LinkedIn
Email: ayersa@sbcglobal.net
Alan Ayers is Vice President of Market Development for Concentra Urgent Care (a subsidiary of Humana, Inc.) where he leads initiatives focused on growing top-line revenue of clinic-based urgent care, occupational health, primary care and medical specialist services treating nearly 30,000 patients per day. Areas of responsibility have spanned product development, product management, and strategic analysis with responsibility for provider, operations, and marketing integration of core occupational health and urgent care services; market planning, capital budgeting and real estate site selection; programs focused on measuring and improving the patient experience; targeted marketing campaigns and grassroots promotions; channel alignment and optimization of the field sales force; and development and implementation of annual operating plans affecting 320 freestanding medical facilities in 40 states.
As member of the Board of Directors and also as Practice Management Content Advisor to the Urgent Care Association of America (UCAOA), Ayers is viewed as an industry thought leader who keeps UCAOA connected to its member base by providing expertise and guidance on issues related to operations, marketing, human resources, finance and billing/reimbursement; identifying market and regulatory trends; defining content, identifying speakers, and making presentations at industry conferences.
A prolific writer, Ayers is co-author of Consumer Driven Health Care, he writes a monthly column for UCAOA's Urgent Care Access newsletter, and he is Associate Editor and a regular contributor to Journal of Urgent Care Medicine (JUCM).
Ayers also serves on the Board of Directors of the Texas/New Mexico affiliate of Volunteers of America. Founded in 1896 and funded through the contributions of individuals, federal grants, private foundations, the United Way and a partnership with Major League Baseball; VOA provides vital community programs for those transitioning out of prison, housing for the aged, blind and disabled, housing for low income families, residential and outpatient treatment for chemical dependency, services for the Veterans Administration, and residential and work programs for individuals with autism and mental retardation. Nationally these programs led by 65,000 community volunteers support over 2.5 million recipients, emphasizing kindness and acknowledging human dignity of the most vulnerable segments of our society. The national organization is a Top 20 IRS 501(c)(3) charity with over $1 billion in annual revenues.
Ayers has served as President and Chief Operating Officer of a hospital-affiliated urgent care network, and has extensive experience in the retail consulting industry serving clients like Walmart, McDonalds, Bank of America, Hilton Hotels and Verizon Wireless. He graduated Phi Beta Kappa from the University of North Carolina, has an MBA from the University of Mississippi, and a Masters of Accounting from The Ohio State University where he graduated first in his class. Ayers is also an FAA-licensed commercial pilot and resides outside of Dallas, Texas.
Co-author and editor: Blackwell, Williams, Ayers, Consumer Driven Health Care, Atlas Books, 2005.
Contributor and editor, Consumer Behavior (10th Edition), Thomson South-Western, 2005.
Co-author and editor, Consumer Behavior 10th Edition Instructors Manual, Thomson South-Western, 2006.
Fundamentals of Urgent Care Billing, Urgent Care Journal, October, 2006.
Fair Pricing for Self Pay Patients, Urgent Care Journal, December, 2006.
Ways to Improve Cash Flow, Urgent Care Journal, January/February, 2007.
Urgent Care Update: Conference Recap, Urgent Care Journal, June, 2007.
Boosting Revenue by Working Harder—or Smarter?, Journal of Urgent Care Medicine, February, 2008.
Playing to Win: Maximizing Profits in Urgent Care, Journal of Urgent Care Medicine, April, 2008.
Minding Your (Urgent Care) Ps and Qs, Journal of Urgent Care Medicine, June, 2008.
Managing Wait Times for Greater Customer Satisfaction, Journal of Urgent Care Medicine, September, 2008.
The Front Office: Window to Your Practice, Journal of Urgent Care Medicine, November, 2008.
Making a Case for Hospital Urgent Care, Journal of Urgent Care Medicine, January, 2009.
Getting the Word Out: An Introduction to Urgent Care Advertising, Journal of Urgent Care Medicine, March, 2009.
Putting Patients First: Redefining Quality in the Patient Experience, Journal of Urgent Care Medicine, May, 2009.
Creating a Web Presence to Raise Awareness of Urgent Care, Journal of Urgent Care Medicine, July/August, 2009.
Utilizing Social Media to Drive Visits to Your Website and Urgent Care Center, Journal of Urgent Care Medicine, October, 2009.
Building Urgent Care Referral Relationships: Pharmacies and Retail Host Clinics, Journal of Urgent Care Medicine, January, 2010.
Building Urgent Care Referral Relationships Part 2: EDs, PCPs and Specialists, Journal of Urgent Care Medicine, February, 2010.
Protecting the Urgent Care Center from Sexual Harassment Claims, Journal of Urgent Care Medicine, April, 2010.
This article won a 2011 Gold Award for “Best How to Article” from the American Society of Healthcare Publication Editors (ASHPE).
Agencies Can Extend Clinical Recruiting and Staffing Capabilities, Journal of Urgent Care Medicine, July/August, 2010.
Getting Paid: Ten Steps to Reducing Accounts Receivable, Journal of Urgent Care Medicine, January, 2011 (Web Exclusive).
Competitive Analysis to Stand Above the Crowd, Journal of Urgent Care Medicine, April, 2011.
Enhancing Profits With Immigration Physicals, Journal of Urgent Care Medicine, May, 2011.
Take Patient Satisfaction to the Next Level, Journal of Urgent Care Medicine, October, 2011.
Motivate Your Front-line Staff with Enlightened Leadership, Journal of Urgent Care Medicine, January, 2012.
Workplace Bullying and its Cost to the Urgent Care Operation, Journal of Urgent Care Medicine, March, 2012.
Workplace Gossip in Urgent Care: The Impact of Toxic Talk, Journal of Urgent Care Medicine, June, 2012.
Five Federal Regulations Urgent Care Operators Need to Know (Part One), Journal of Urgent Care Medicine, July/August, 2012.
Five Federal Regulations Urgent Care Operators Need to Know (Part Two), Journal of Urgent Care Medicine, September, 2012.
Wear Your Brand: Increasing Awareness of Your Urgent Care Center, Journal of Urgent Care Medicine, November, 2012.
Making the Most of Locum Tenens in Your Urgent Care, Journal of Urgent Care Medicine, December, 2012.
Understanding the Occupational Medicine Landscape, Journal of Urgent Care Medicine, January, 2013
Offering Wi-Fi in the Urgent Care Center, Journal of Urgent Care Medicine, February, 2013
Language Interpretation Services in the Urgent Care Center, Journal of Urgent Care Medicine, March, 2013
Dealing with Employee Termination: Smart Strategies for Optimizing Your Team, Journal of Urgent Care Medicine, April, 2013
2009:
August, 2009: Urgent Care: How to Thrive in Tough Times
September, 2009: Ten Ways to Reduce Your Urgent Care Center's Accounts Receivable
October, 2009: Ten Activities to Safeguard Patient Privacy in Urgent Care
November, 2009: Ten Activities for Managing People in Urgent Care
December, 2009: Ten Activities for Marketing Your Urgent Care Center
2010:
January, 2010: Ten Financial Controls to Protect Your Urgent Care Practice
February, 2010: Five Activities for Improving Patient Satisfaction
March, 2010: Ten Urgent Care Innovations
April, 2010: Considerations for Pharmaceutical Dispensing in Urgent Care
May, 2010: Ten Basic Office Technologies for Every Urgent Care
June, 2010: Exceptional Patient Experience Pledge
July, 2010: Five Activities for Cultivating a Motivated Center Team
August, 2010: Attacking the De-motivators: Five Behaviors to Avoid in Managing Urgent Care Staff
September, 2010: Know Thyself by Knowing Thy Competition (Urgent Care Competitor Evaluation Grid)
October, 2010: It's the Little Details that Matter: Clean Restrooms
October Extra: Restroom Checklist
November, 2010: Posted vs. Actual Operating Hours
December, 2010: Ten Cash Management Tools for Urgent Care
2011:
January, 2011: Neuromarketing Applied to the Urgent Care Center
February, 2011: Enhance Operating Margin with Immigration Physicals
February Extra: Immigration Medicine Forms; Immigration Medicine Fee Schedule
March, 2011: Make Yours a Powerful Brand
April, 2011: Lean Thinking in Urgent Care: Patients’ Perspective of Value
May, 2011: Pediatric After Hours Phenomenon
June, 2011: Managing Impressions of The Brand Called "You"
July, 2011: Riches in the Niches: Target Demographics for Urgent Care
August, 2011: Act Rather Than Be Acted Upon: Five Ideals for Managing Change
September, 2011: Improving Culture by Reducing the Ambiguity of Work
October, 2011: Ten Ideas for Getting Your Website Noticed
November, 2011: Performance Metrics for Urgent Care
December, 2011: Creating Affinity with Front Line Staff
2012:
January, 2012: No! No! No! Financing for Urgent Care
February, 2012: Emerging Business Models: Freestanding Emergency Rooms
March, 2012: Management Implications of Tattoos, Piercings, and Other "Body Art"
April, 2012: Protecting Patients and Assets: Pre-Employment Background Checks and Drug Screening
May, 2012: What Urgent Care Operators Need to Know About Employee Breakrooms
June, 2012: Mitigating the Risks of Business Email
July, 2012: Engaging Providers in the Patient Experience
August, 2012: You Get What You Measure: Patient Experience Indicators for Urgent Care
September, 2012: Cures for High Utility Costs: 10 Energy Saving Tips for Urgent Care Centers
October, 2012: What Urgent Care Operators Need to Know About Office Parties
October, 2012 Supplement: Considerations for Urgent Care Holiday Hours
November, 2012: Marketing Your Urgent Care Center to New Movers
November, 2012 Supplement: Protecting the Urgent Care Center Against Drug-Related Robbery
December, 2012: A New Year's Resolution: Reach Out to Primary Care Providers
2013:
January, 2013: About Those 'Cheap' Employees
February, 2013: Looking for a Few Good People? Hold a Jobs Fair!
February,
2013 Supplement:
Tobacco Interventions for Urgent Care Patients
March, 2013:
You Need a Prize Wheel: Effective Participation in Community Events
March, 2013 Supplement: Medical Marijuana: An Urgent Care Issue?
Ayers, Alan: Make Shift from Emergency Care, USA Today (Opinion Page), December 9, 2008.
Ayers, Alan: An Alternative to the ER, The Costco Connection, January, 2012.
Concentra.com: October 30, 2008: Listening to Our Customers: A Roadmap to Success
Concentra.com: May 6, 2009: Concentra Sponsors Urgent Care Medical Curriculum
Concentra.com: July 13, 2009: New Products Undermine Workplace Efforts to End Tobacco Use
UCAOA UConnect: July, 2010: The Cornerstone of Urgent Care Marketing is Capturing Word of Mouth
UCAOA UConnect: September, 2010: Five Ways to Deal With Angry Patients
UCAOA UConnect: December, 2010: Trust: Essential for Managing People
UCAOA UConnect: November, 2012: Engaging Payers in Raising Urgent Care Awareness
UCAOA UConnect: January, 2013: Miss the Mess: Sexual Harassment, Toxic Gossip, Workplace Bullying
Ohio Company Entering Local Urgent Care Market, Orlando Business Journal, May 18, 2007.
The Devil’s In the Details: Environment of Care Issues, Immediate Care Business, January 14, 2008.
Concentra to Add Urgent Care at New Mexico Locations, New Mexico Business Weekly, February 22, 2008.
Occupational Medicine: Working Towards Greater Patient Satisfaction, Immediate Care Business, March 7, 2008.
Real Concerns Over Fake Patients: Newark, New Jersey: Star Ledger, June 25, 2008.
Urgent Care Centers Seeing Explosion in Growth: Atlanta Journal-Constitution, June 29, 2008.
Adding Ancillary Services to Your Facility, Immediate Care Business, September 23, 2008.
Instant Gratification, Anyone?: Crain’s Chicago Business, October 13, 2008.
Shopping List: Paper Towels, Diapers, EMR, Milk: American Medical News, March 23, 2009.
Urgent Care Start Up 101, Immediate Care Business, May 20, 2009.
Consumer Driven Health Care, American Academy of Urgent Care Medicine, Orlando, April, 2007.
Statistical Profile of Urgent Care in the United States, August, 2007.
Urgent Care Budgeting, Urgent Care Association of America, Chicago, September, 2007.
Urgent Care Budgeting, Urgent Care Association of America, New Orleans, April, 2008.
Handout: Urgent Care Financial Pro Forma
Walk-in Care Day of Discovery, Sebasticook Valley Hospital, Pittsfield, Maine, May, 2008.
Urgent Care Budgeting, Urgent Care Association of America, Memphis, September, 2008.
Marketing for Urgent Care Start-ups, Urgent Care Association of America, Las Vegas, April, 2009.
Improving Wait Times in Urgent Care, Urgent Care Association of America, Las Vegas, April, 2009.
Marketing for Urgent Care Start-ups, Urgent Care Association of America, Dallas, October, 2009.
Optimizing Locations for Your Facilities, Physicians and Services, Buxton Company, Ft. Worth, April, 2010.
Improving Wait Times in Urgent Care, Urgent Care Association of America, Orlando, May, 2010.
Marketing for Urgent Care Start-ups, Urgent Care Association of America, Orlando, May, 2010.
Beyond Conventional Marketing, Urgent Care Association of America, Orlando, May, 2010.
Appealing to Cash Pay Patients, Urgent Care Association of America, Orlando, May, 2010.
Telemedicine: Insights for the Urgent Care Operator, Urgent Care Association of America Webinar, June, 2010.
Marketing for Urgent Care Start-ups, Urgent Care Association of America, Phoenix, October, 2010.
Marketing in Uncertain Times, American Marketing Association/SMU Cox School of Business, Dallas, January, 2011.
Putting Patients First: Transforming Concentra, Transforming Healthcare, The Beryl Institute, Dallas, April, 2011.
Marketing for Urgent Care Start-ups, Urgent Care Association of America, Chicago, May, 2011.
Measuring Patient Flow in Urgent Care, Urgent Care Association of America, Chicago, May, 2011.
Marketing for Urgent Care Start-ups, Urgent Care Association of America, Dallas, October, 2011.
Retail Analytics in an Enterprise Cloud with Oracle Spatial, Directions Magazine Webinar, October, 2011.
Occupational Medicine Success Factors, Urgent Care Management Monthly Success Summit, Dallas, February, 2012.
Dealing With the Dissatisfied Patient, Urgent Care Association of America, Las Vegas, April, 2012.
Integrating Occupational Health and Urgent Care Services, National Association of Occupational Health Professionals, Chicago, October, 2012.
Marketing for Urgent Care Start-ups, Urgent Care Association of America, New Orleans, October, 2012.
The Competition--Evaluating, Positioning, and Branding, Urgent Care Association of America, New Orleans, October, 2012.
Market Research--Planning and Measuring a Center's Success, Urgent Care Association of America, New Orleans, October, 2012.
Organizational Strategy and Marketing, Urgent Care Association of America, New Orleans, October, 2012.
Marketing for Urgent Care Start-ups, Urgent Care Association of America, Orlando, April, 2013.
Creating an Excellent Patient Experience, Urgent Care Association of America, Orlando, April, 2013.
Good To Great: Taking Your Marketing to the Next Level, Urgent Care Association of America, Orlando, April, 2013.
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