Oregon law sets service and advertising rules for urgent care centers

A person or government entity must meet the law’s requirements to use “urgent” or “urgent care” in a business name, sign, or advertisement. The rule covers facilities offering walk-in care for acute but not life-threatening illnesses or injuries, and excludes specialty urgent care centers. A specialty urgent care center may use those terms with the name of the specialty care it provides. The law takes effect January 1, 2027.

An urgent care center must publish required information on its website and post it near its main public entrance. The information must include the center’s name and address, affiliations, hours, accepted payments, services, available providers, appointment access, diagnostic options, and telemedicine. The law takes effect January 1, 2027.

An urgent care center must have a licensed provider on site while open and be able to provide certain tests and treatments. The required services are tests for common respiratory diseases, an electrocardiogram, splints for strains, sprains, and fractures, and stitches for simple cuts. A center may temporarily operate without an on-site provider if illness, an emergency, or a similar circumstance makes one unavailable, a licensed provider is available by telemedicine, and patients are told at first contact that care will be by telemedicine. The law takes effect January 1, 2027.

An urgent care center that refers a patient to an emergency department must provide the patient’s records, including the clinical reason for the referral. The record-sharing duty applies when an urgent care center refers a patient to an emergency department. Records may be sent through a health information exchange. If the center does not participate, it may give the patient a physical copy or send the records by another immediate means. A center may not claim to provide emergency department services or use words or abbreviations likely to make a reasonable person think it is a hospital emergency department. The law takes effect January 1, 2027.