MUSC Health to expand access to emergency, urgent care through key collaboration

New combined facilities ensure care closer to home

Charleston, S.C. (May 9, 2025) – MUSC Health in collaboration with Intuitive Health will expand access to immediate medical care across South Carolina through the development of several state-of-the-art emergency rooms (ERs) offering combined emergency and urgent care services. The strategic collaboration will ensure that patients receive exceptional care when they need it.

“This partnership is a significant step forward in redefining how care is delivered in our communities,” said Patrick J. Cawley, M.D., MUSC Health CEO and executive vice president for Health Affairs, University. “By integrating emergency and urgent care services, we are ensuring that our patients receive comprehensive, high-quality treatment promptly, without the stress of having to decide the level of care they require.”

Studies have shown that a significant number of ER visits are for nonemergency health concerns that could be effectively managed in an urgent care setting. To address this, MUSC Health and Intuitive Health are launching a combined emergency room and urgent care model that simplifies patient decision-making. Patients will be triaged upon arrival and provided with the appropriate level of care by emergency-trained staff in a fully equipped facility, which will also accommodate EMS and ambulances.

“We are excited to collaborate with MUSC to bring a transformative health care solution to communities throughout South Carolina,” said Thom Herrmann, CEO of Intuitive Health. “By combining ER and urgent care under one roof, we are providing patients with a seamless, cost-effective way to receive the right level of care without the confusion or financial burden of choosing between emergency and urgent care services.” 

This partnership is further strengthened with the inclusion of Tidelands Health and Beaufort Memorial Hospital. These respected institutions will join forces with MUSC Health and Intuitive Health to extend the reach of these combination facilities, further enhancing access to quality care.

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About MUSC

Founded in 1824 in Charleston, MUSC is the state’s only comprehensive academic health system, with a mission to preserve and optimize human life in South Carolina through education, research and patient care. Each year, MUSC educates over 3,100 students in six colleges and trains 950+ residents and fellows across its health system. MUSC leads the state in federal and National Institutes of Health and research funding. For information on our academic programs, visit musc.edu.

As the health care system of the Medical University of South Carolina, MUSC Health is dedicated to delivering the highest-quality and safest patient care while educating and training generations of outstanding health care providers and leaders to serve the people of South Carolina and beyond. In 2024, for the 10th consecutive year, U.S. News & World Report named MUSC Health University Medical Center in Charleston the No. 1 hospital in South Carolina. To learn more about clinical patient services, visit muschealth.org.

MUSC has a total enterprise annual operating budget of $7.1 billion. The 31,000 MUSC members include world-class faculty, physicians, specialty providers, scientists, contract employees, affiliates and care team members who deliver groundbreaking education, research, and patient care.

About Intuitive Health

Founded in 2008, Intuitive Health pioneered the combined emergency room and urgent care model. Intuitive Health partners with established health systems nationwide to build, operate and launch retail healthcare facilities that provide urgent care and emergency room services under one roof. Intuitive Health partners with leading health systems nationwide, including Arizona, Delaware, Florida, Kentucky, Indiana, New Mexico, North Carolina, Ohio, Oklahoma, South Carolina, Texas, Virginia and Washington. Intuitive's patient-centric approach to immediate care has saved payors and patients hundreds of millions in unnecessary emergency care spending. In addition, the Intuitive Health model increases market share for partnered healthcare systems by expanding their footprint with conveniently located centers. For more information, please visit IHERUC.com.