Urgent cares can add a telehealth referral revenue line by joining a free partner program, sharing a QR code or personal link with the patients they already see, and earning a fixed marketing fee every month for each person who signs up and keeps actively using a licensed telehealth platform. There is no clinical work, no inventory, and no prescribing on your side. You point interested patients toward licensed online care, and the licensed professionals handle everything on the medical side.
Why urgent cares are a natural fit
An urgent care sees a high, steady volume of walk-in patients, many of whom are already thinking about their overall health while they sit in your lobby. People come in for a sprain, a rash, or a rapid test, and questions about weight management, energy, and long-term wellness come up naturally at the front desk and in the exam room.
That existing foot traffic is exactly what makes a referral line work. You are not chasing new leads or buying ads. You are simply making patients aware that a licensed telehealth option exists for treatments like semaglutide and tirzepatide, then letting the interested ones take the next step on their own phone. Your clinic never becomes a weight management practice and never changes its scope of care.
How the urgent care referral program works
The Urgent Cares program gives your clinic a unique QR code and a personal link. You can place the QR code on a check-in kiosk, a lobby sign, an after-visit summary, or a business card at the front desk, and your staff can share the link with any patient who asks how it works.
When a patient scans the code or clicks the link, signs up, and becomes an active customer, that person is attributed to your urgent care. Attribution stays tied to your clinic for the life of that relationship, so you keep earning as long as they keep using the platform. You do not have to re-refer anyone or track anything by hand. The tracking follows the relationship automatically once the code is scanned.
Who handles the clinical side
This is the part that keeps the model clean and compliant. On the MedStands platform, independent licensed providers do the prescribing and licensed pharmacies handle the fulfillment, refills, and shipping. The platform is LegitScript-certified. MedStands is not a medical practice and does not prescribe, and neither does your urgent care in this arrangement.
That means no clinical work, no inventory, and no fulfillment on your end. Your clinic never stocks a product, never dispenses a medication, and never manages an order tied to these referrals. Every request is reviewed by a licensed provider, and not everyone qualifies, so you do not decide who is treated and you cannot influence that outcome. Your role begins and ends with the referral. For a fuller picture of the division of labor, see Who Handles the Prescribing and Shipping in a Referral Program?.
Getting paid: a fixed marketing fee, not a commission
For each active referred customer, your urgent care earns a fixed marketing fee that is set in advance and paid to your bank every month for as long as that person keeps actively using the platform. It is not a commission, not a percentage of sales, and not a cut of what anyone spends. It is a flat marketing fee agreed on up front.
Because the fee recurs monthly, referrals you make once can keep contributing over time. A modest number of active patients becomes a steady line that sits alongside your visit revenue rather than replacing any of it. If you want a sense of what drives the numbers, see How Much Can You Earn Referring Your Customers to Telehealth?. Earnings depend on how many of your referrals become and stay active, so results vary from clinic to clinic.
What it costs and what changes in your workflow
It is free to join. There is no setup fee, no monthly fee, and nothing to buy. Your clinic is not stocking a product, committing to a minimum, or signing up for software you have to maintain. Because there is no cost and no medical work, the only investment is the few minutes it takes to display a code and brief your front desk.
Day-to-day operations do not change. Your providers do not add a service line, your staff does not book treatment appointments or answer clinical questions about these referrals, and no one manages orders. The most involved thing anyone does is point a patient to the QR code when the topic comes up.
Common questions
Does my urgent care pay anything to join?
No. It is free to join, with no setup fee, no monthly fee, and nothing to buy. You receive your QR code and personal link at no cost and start sharing whenever you are ready.
Do my providers need to do any clinical work?
No. This is a marketing referral role, not a clinical one. Independent licensed providers do the prescribing and licensed pharmacies handle fulfillment, refills, and shipping. Your clinic never touches medication and never manages a prescription tied to these referrals.
Does everyone who signs up qualify?
No. Every request is reviewed by a licensed provider, and not everyone qualifies. You cannot influence who is approved, and you should never suggest that any specific patient is a good candidate. Your part is simply to make the option known.
Can an individual refer instead of the whole clinic?
Yes. Alongside the clinic partner path, individuals can refer through the MedStands affiliate program and earn the same kind of fixed monthly marketing fee. Either path keeps all clinical work with the licensed professionals.
Get started
If you want to add a low-effort, recurring revenue line without buying inventory or taking on clinical work, the urgent care referral model is built for exactly this. It is free to join, it fits the patient flow you already have, and it pays a fixed marketing fee each month for as long as your referrals stay active. Learn more on the Urgent Cares program page, browse partner programs by industry to see how clinics like yours are using it, or explore the MedStands affiliate program if an individual referral path fits you better.