Success SpotlightExpressCare
Delivers Same-Day Lab Results and Reclaims Provider Time with Care Agent
Overview
Clinic: ExpressCare Urgent Care
Locations: 35 clinics across Maryland
Solution: Care Agent Digital Lab Results
The Challenge
Communicating lab results had become a growing operational bottleneck for ExpressCare.
- Lab results often took up to two days to reach patients
- Providers spent ~15 minutes per result navigating phone calls and callbacks
- Daily lab volume regularly exceeded 100–120 results, with 200+ on peak days
- Phone tag disrupted providers, front desk staff, and patients
With a centralized telemedicine team responsible for lab follow-up across 35 clinics, provider time was increasingly consumed by repetitive outreach instead of patient care.
Early Results at a Glance
In the first 60 days following implementation, ExpressCare saw immediate operational impact:
- Same-day lab result delivery via secure digital messaging
- Time per result reduced from ~15 minutes to ~2 minutes
- 3,167 provider hours projected to be saved annually
- Equivalent to 1.5 full-time employees
- ~$357,000 in net annual operational savings
- Payback achieved in approximately 20 days
What began as a workflow improvement quickly became a material operational win.
When Lab Results Turn Into a Multi-Day Process
ExpressCare processes a high volume of lab work each day, with results flowing in from multiple vendors, including LabCorp and HealthTracks. All results were routed to a centralized telemedicine team responsible for review and patient notification.
The workflow was clinically sound but operationally inefficient.
Providers reviewed labs, separated normal from abnormal results, documented findings, and updated treatment plans when needed. The real friction came next: notifying patients by phone.
If a patient didn’t answer, a voicemail was left. When the patient called back, they often reached the front desk rather than the reviewing provider. Staff then tracked down the provider, who attempted another call. Frequently, the cycle repeated.
As volumes increased, lab results routinely sat in queues for up to two days before patients were notified.
For providers, this meant:
- Hours lost to repetitive call attempts
- Constant interruptions from the front desk
- Difficulty clearing lab queues while managing live telemedicine visits
For patients, it meant:
- Waiting days for results
- Playing phone tag with the clinic
- Receiving vague voicemails like “Please call us back about your results”
- No written record of results or instructions
ExpressCare needed a faster, clearer way to close the loop.
The Solution: Care Agent Digital Lab Results
In November 2025, ExpressCare implemented Care Agent Digital Lab Results, enabling providers to securely deliver results directly to patients without phone calls.
Providers continued reviewing labs in the Lab Work Queue. Instead of calling patients, they added a note and clicked Send Results to Patient.
That was it.
Patients immediately received a text message letting them know their results were ready. After secure verification, they could:
- View their lab results
- See whether findings were normal, abnormal, or critical
- Read the provider’s interpretation
- Review next steps
All on their own time.
The Impact: Faster Results, Less Friction, More Time for Care
What changed wasn’t just speed, but consistency.
By removing phone calls from the lab results workflow, Care Agent created a single, repeatable process across clinics and providers. Results moved from review to delivery without handoffs, callbacks, or coordination between teams.
For the Clinic
- Lab notification time dropped from up to two days to same day
- Phone tag was eliminated from the workflow
- Provider notes were automatically documented as chart addendums
- A full audit trail showed when results were sent and viewed
Even during peak respiratory season, a single telemedicine provider could efficiently manage lab results across all 35 clinics. Time previously lost to phone calls was redirected toward telemedicine visits, chart completion, and clinic support.
For Patients
- Results arrived within hours, not days
- No phone calls or callbacks required
- Clear, written explanations replaced rushed conversations
- Visual indicators made results easier to understand
- A permanent, shareable record reduced confusion and anxiety
Instead of wondering why the clinic was calling, patients received clarity quickly.
The Results: Savings Validated in Weeks, Not Quarters
Within the first 60 days, ExpressCare validated that replacing phone-based lab delivery with Care Agent dramatically reduced time spent per result.
Time per lab result
- Phone-based workflow: ~15 minutes
- Care Agent digital workflow: ~2 minutes
That’s 13 minutes saved per result. At scale, this equates to:
- 3,167 provider hours saved annually
- ~$378,000 in gross annual operational savings
- ~$357,000 in net savings after Care Agent costs
With an annual Care Agent investment of $20,580, ExpressCare reached breakeven in roughly 20 days, with ongoing savings accruing each month thereafter.
The return was realized in weeks, not months.
Why It Worked
ExpressCare’s success came from solving a specific operational problem without changing how clinicians practice.
- A clearly defined operational need
Multi-day delays, repeated callbacks, and fragmented communication created measurable strain for providers, staff, and patients. - Workflow alignment, not replacement
Care Agent fit directly into existing EMR workflows, allowing providers to review, document, and deliver results without disruption. - Early validation with durable impact
Same-day delivery and reclaimed provider time were visible within the first 60 days and are expected to scale proportionally as lab volume grows. - Scalable across the organization
One repeatable workflow now supports 35 clinics and centralized telemedicine operations without additional staffing. - A better experience for everyone
Providers regained time for care, staff avoided disruptive callbacks, and patients received faster, clearer communication.
By turning lab result communication into a digital, documented, and patient-friendly process, ExpressCare transformed a daily operational burden into a sustainable advantage.
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