UNC Health wants to combine ER departments and urgent care under one roof

The big picture: UNC Health plans to partner with Intuitive Health, a company that has tested the model in other states, and the goal is to open a network of these freestanding facilities in the state.

Driving the news: To start, UNC Health will apply for a Certificate of Need (a regulatory application that restricts how health care systems expand) for two of these facilities, one in North Raleigh, in a renovated Walgreens on Creedmoor Road, and a new building in Apex on U.S. 64.

• If approved, UNC Health hopes to open them in 2027.

Zoom in: Each facility would evaluate patients when they check in, directing them either to the ER side of the building or to the urgent care side, eliminating guesswork for patients.

• The facilities will be equipped with on-site lab equipment and a radiology suite that includes X-ray and CT scanners, according to UNC Health.

What they're saying: "These state-of-the-art facilities will ... reduce unnecessary emergency visits, and improve the overall patient experience," UNC Health interim CEO Cristy Page said in a statement.