Carbon Health, which set out five years ago to create the “Starbucks of healthcare,” will be in a few more people’s neighborhoods with two recent acquisitions. The company recently bought two urgent care chains, netting it 13 additional clinics.
It acquired Tucson, Ariz.-based Southern Arizona Urgent Care and Sacramento, Calif.-based Med7 Urgent Care for an undisclosed amount. In total, it now has 83 clinics across 12 states.
The San Francisco-based startup is taking on competitors like One Medical and Forward with its blend of in-person and virtual care. It’s slightly smaller than One Medical, which had roughly 124 offices as of June, and bigger than Forward. But unlike the others, it does not charge a membership fee to access its services.
Carbon Health takes most big insurers, and also offers a list of “a la carte” cash prices for patients on high-deductible plans or who are uninsured. For example, an in-person urgent care visit costs $145, while a virtual visit costs $69. Stitches cost another $179, on top of the visit price.
Part of its approach to growth is to partner with local health systems that are looking to offer retail-style clinics. For example, the company has struck partnerships with NorthBay Healthcare where the health system operates the clinics, and Carbon Health brings its technology platform and takes a portion of its revenue.
Earlier this summer, Carbon Health raised $350 million, with the stated goal of becoming the “largest primary care provider in the U.S.” It plans to further expand its footprint by partnering with and acquiring local practices.
A Deep-dive Into Specialty Pharma
A specialty drug is a class of prescription medications used to treat complex, chronic or rare medical conditions. Although this classification was originally intended to define the treatment of rare, also termed “orphan” diseases, affecting fewer than 200,000 people in the US, more recently, specialty drugs have emerged as the cornerstone of treatment for chronic and complex diseases such as cancer, autoimmune conditions, diabetes, hepatitis C, and HIV/AIDS.
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