There’s not much that’s more worrying on a Saturday afternoon than a three-year-old with a temperature of 102 and a mysterious rash. The doctor’s office is closed, and the illness doesn’t seem to merit an ambulance ride to the emergency room.

In this situation, it’s good to know that Dr. Terry Matthews and Catherine Matthews at Lansing Urgent Care, PLC, are available to make everyone—parent and child alike—feel better.

Honored with the 2011 Greater Lansing Entrepreneur Award in the healthcare category, the Matthews say that they simply saw a need and, working together, created Lansing Urgent Care to meet that need in the community.

Dr. Terry Matthews graduated from Michigan State University’s College of Osteopathic Medicine and is certified by the Family Practice Board. After graduation, he went to work in area emergency rooms and urgent care facilities.

Catherine Matthews graduated from the University of Michigan with a BSE in civil/environmental engineering. She worked at General Electric as an environmental health and safety (EHS) program manager and advanced to EHS regional lead and eventually to a position as manager of EHS digitization and compliance assurance. She has received a GE Energy EHS Peak Performer Award twice (the only person ever to have received this award more than once).

Dr. Matthews began to develop an idea for an urgent care company based on his medical skills and knowledge and his wife’s engineering skills and organizational abilities in health and safety. Despite the risks, Catherine agreed that it was a worthy venture, but it certainly wasn’t easy. They not only took a financial risk in bankrolling the new entity, they also worked incredible hours. In fact, for the first eight months of operation, Dr. Matthews, Catherine and her parents, Margaret and Gus Peponis, covered the 80 hours each week that the office was open—and didn’t get paid. On top of that, Catherine kept her job at General Electric. After a long (and exhausting) eight months, they finally felt they could hire their first employee.

That was in 2006. Today, Lansing Urgent Care employs 13 doctors and physician assistants as well as administration staff. In May of 2010, they opened a second office in Okemos at 2289 E. Grand River Ave.

The philosophy espoused by both Terry and Catherine is simple to express but difficult to achieve. They believe in providing superior care (Terry’s bailiwick) with extreme efficiency (Catherine’s area of expertise) in an unrivaled environment (everyone’s job). They understand that this is the only way to develop patient loyalty.

Lansing Urgent Care is open seven days a week and provides care for illnesses like colds and flu, pneumonia, bronchitis and asthma, infections, rashes, urinary tract infection and sexually transmitted diseases. They also offer care for fractures, sprains, lacerations and abrasions, wound care, minor burns and work-related injuries. They are able to do on-site lab testing and also have the ability to provide x-rays, flu shots, TB tests and sports and school physicals. Their website lists conditions they are not equipped to treat and that require a trip to the emergency room. As a further convenience, they accept most insurance.

While that’s certainly all one could wish, Lansing Urgent Care also offers some pleasant perks. The office is warm and inviting and features free Wi-Fi, TVs in every patient room and even an aquarium where children can look for Nemo. Patients don’t need appointments, and visit time averages less than one hour. (Catherine’s background in engineering played a role in streamlining processes to achieve maximum efficiency.) Many medications are available on site to eliminate the need to spend time at the pharmacy.

Emergency rooms play an important role in healthcare, but for minor medical concerns, the cost of care at the ER is about 700 percent higher than similar care at Lansing Urgent Care. And wait times for the ER are considerably higher as well.

Catherine says that everyone at Lansing Urgent Care focuses on the complete patient experience. She adds, “Our facility is modern, clean and comfortable. Our staff are not only superior in their professional skills but are also compassionate and caring. In fact, that’s one of the main things we look for when we are hiring all of our employees. We want to guarantee the best possible experience and outcome for each and every patient.”

While the Matthews are taking care of their patients, they are taking care of their employees too, leading to an uncommonly low employee attrition rate. All employees receive catered meals weekly, free monthly car washes, company-provided scrubs and apparel, staff events and performance-based contests and drawings for incentives. And this is in addition to generous benefits.

According to Catherine, “We started slowly, but we grew rapidly. In fact, our growth has been more rapid than the typical urgent care facility. Our success has been such that in 2010 we opened our second facility.”

Both the Matthews are active members of the Lansing Regional Chamber of Commerce, Capital Healthcare and Employment Council, Greater Lansing Convention & Visitors Bureau and co-founders of the Urgent Care Association of Michigan. Catherine also serves on the Career Connections Advisory Board. The Matthews and Lansing Urgent Care were recently selected as a Top 50 Company in Michigan to Watch, 2010.

Hard work, exemplary skills, dedication, compassion—everything anyone could want in healthcare is provided at Lansing Urgent Care.