3 Urgent Care Centers In Harford County Now Owned By UMMS

The University of Maryland Medical System has purchased nine ChoiceOne Urgent Care centers, including three in Harford County. Officials said the sale was effective March 1.

Before the purchase, the University of Maryland Medical System had been affiliated with the different urgent care facilities through its affiliates.

In Harford County, Upper Chesapeake had partnered with the owner of ChoiceOne — Fresenius Medical Care — to operate the centers.

Under the new arrangement, the University of Maryland Medical System, or UMMS, now owns the full interest in nine clinics across Harford, Baltimore, Caroline and Talbot counties and Baltimore City.

"This acquisition will allow us to leverage the size and scale of our system; connect patients across the communities we serve with academic, discovery-based medicine; and allow for a deeper integration of clinical services," UMMS President/CEO Mohan Suntha, M.D., said in a statement. "Bringing ChoiceOne Urgent Care centers fully into our medical system allows UMMS to provide patients with integrated clinical services and a continuous care experience."

The decision was motivated by the desire to "transform health care delivery in our state and connect patients with the care they deserve — where and when they need it," Suntha said.

Owning the ChoiceOne centers will position UMMS to provide enhanced services at a lower cost, assess future expansion and engage with the community around wellness initiatives, according to a statement from the medical system.

These are the ChoiceOne Urgent Care sites that are now owned by UMMS:

Harford County

• ChoiceOne Urgent Care – Aberdeen; 744 S. Philadelphia Blvd.
• ChoiceOne Urgent Care – Fallston; 2315 Belair Rd.
• ChoiceOne Urgent Care – Forest Hill; 1528 Rock Spring Rd.

Baltimore County

• ChoiceOne Urgent Care – Dundalk; 1730 Merritt Blvd.
• ChoiceOne Urgent Care – Phoenix; 14237 Jarrettsville Pike

Baltimore City

• ChoiceOne Urgent Care – Belvedere Square; 600 E. Belvedere Ave.
• ChoiceOne Urgent Care – Rotunda; 711 West 40th St.

Caroline County

• ChoiceOne Urgent Care – Denton; 8 Denton Plaza

Talbot County

• ChoiceOne Urgent Care – Easton; 28522-C Marlboro Ave.

Staff members will join UMMS in the coming months.

About 40 physicians, nurse practitioners and physician assistants will become UMMS employees July 1, while non-providers will become UMMS employees May 1 through a new entity called UMMS Ambulatory Care LLC, according to a statement from the medical system.