Call for Papers — Spring 2026:  Manuscript submissions open March 2026. Founding institution authors receive waived APCs for first 5 articles.  Submit your work →
ISSN: Application Submitted
Society for Academic Urgent Care Medicine
Open Access · Quarterly · ICMJE Member
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Official Journal of SAUCM™

Annals of Urgent
Care Medicine

Peer-Reviewed · Open Access · Quarterly · Inaugural Issue Spring 2026
Open Access Double-Blind Peer Review 60-Day Review Target 4 Issues/Year AMA Citation Style PubMed Indexing Pending CME Accreditation Planned
Mission Statement
To promote excellence in urgent care medicine by publishing original research, evidence-based reviews, and clinical guidance that advances the science, practice, and education of the field — improving outcomes for the 160 million patients seen annually in urgent care settings.
Journal at a Glance
Spring 2026
Inaugural Issue
Open
Access Model
60 Days
Avg. Review Time
4
Issues Per Year
PublisherSAUCM™
LanguageEnglish
FormatOnline · Print (planned)
ISSNPending (applied)
DOI PrefixPending CrossRef
LicenseCC BY 4.0
🏥
160M+
Annual US urgent care visits
🏢
12,000+
Urgent care centers nationwide
💰
$13–18B
Annual economic impact of the UC sector
📖
First
Dedicated peer-reviewed journal for urgent care medicine
About the Journal
Aims & Scope

The Annals of Urgent Care Medicine fills a longstanding gap in the biomedical literature, providing a rigorous, society-backed venue for scholarship across all dimensions of urgent care medicine — modeled on the Annals tradition of excellence exemplified by Annals of Internal Medicine, Annals of Emergency Medicine, and Annals of Surgery.

Mission & Editorial Focus

The Annals of Urgent Care Medicine, the official journal of the Society for Academic Urgent Care Medicine (SAUCM™), advances the academic foundations of the field by publishing high-quality, peer-reviewed research, clinical guidance, and educational scholarship. With more than 160 million urgent care visits annually and a workforce spanning physician, advanced practice, and multispecialty clinicians, the field requires a dedicated, credible venue for evidence that shapes practice.

We publish work relevant to freestanding urgent care centers, health system–affiliated sites, occupational medicine, telehealth, and the continuum bridging primary and emergency care. The Annals specifically seeks submissions that challenge convention, translate research into practice, and influence policy at local, national, and international levels — consistent with the editorial standards of leading specialty Annals journals.

Diagnostic accuracy & POCT Treatment outcomes Antimicrobial stewardship Patient safety & QI Workflow & operations Healthcare equity & access Telemedicine Medical education & training AI & clinical informatics UC–ED transfer patterns Workforce & policy Pediatric urgent care Occupational medicine Point-of-care ultrasound
Editorial Independence

The Annals of Urgent Care Medicine maintains full editorial independence from SAUCM™ and its institutional partners. All editorial decisions are made solely on scientific merit, consistent with ICMJE recommendations and COPE guidelines.

The journal is committed to transparency in peer review, mandatory disclosure of conflicts of interest, and rigorous adherence to reporting standards (CONSORT, PRISMA, STROBE, SQUIRE). Statistical review is performed on all quantitative research submissions.

Member of:

ICMJE COPE CrossRef / DOI ORCID DOAJ
Article Types Published
Original Research
Original Research
Prospective and retrospective studies, RCTs, cohort studies, and cross-sectional research with structured abstract.
Systematic Review
Systematic Reviews & Meta-Analyses
PRISMA-compliant evidence syntheses with explicit search methodology and risk-of-bias assessment.
Clinical Practice
Clinical Practice Guidelines
Evidence-based clinical recommendations developed by expert panels with GRADE methodology.
Quality Improvement
Quality Improvement Reports
SQUIRE 2.0–compliant QI initiatives with implementation science frameworks.
Case Series
Case Reports & Series
Novel or instructive presentations with educational significance to urgent care clinicians.
Research Letter
Research Letters
Concise reports of original data, preliminary findings, or response to published work (≤800 words).
Editorial
Editorials & Commentaries
Expert perspectives on published articles, field trends, and policy debates.
Education
Medical Education Reports
Curriculum design, competency frameworks, simulation research, and faculty development studies.
Inaugural Preview
Current Issue

Volume 1, Issue 1 establishes the Annals of Urgent Care Medicine as the first dedicated peer-reviewed venue for urgent care scholarship — spanning original research, systematic reviews, clinical guidelines, and quality improvement.

Volume 1, Issue 1 · Spring 2026
Submissions open March 2026 · Publication Spring 2026 · Pages 1–64
Preview — In Press
This preview reflects anticipated content for the inaugural issue. The manuscript submission portal opens March 2026. Founding institution authors receive waived APCs for their first five articles. Contact the editorial office →
Editorial
pp. 1–3
Ann Urgent Care Med. 2026;1(1):1–3  | Open Access
Launching the Annals of Urgent Care Medicine: A New Chapter for the Field
Editor-in-Chief, Annals of Urgent Care Medicine™
The inaugural issue of the Annals of Urgent Care Medicine marks a turning point in the academic development of urgent care medicine. With over 160 million annual visits and a growing body of clinical practice without a dedicated peer-reviewed home, the need for rigorous specialty scholarship is urgent. This editorial outlines the mission, scope, and standards the journal will uphold as the official venue for urgent care science.
Original Research
pp. 4–18
Ann Urgent Care Med. 2026;1(1):4–18  | Open Access
Diagnostic Accuracy of Point-of-Care Testing in Urgent Care Settings: A Multi-Center Prospective Study
Smith JD, Johnson ML, Williams K, Chen L, Rodriguez M, Anderson P
Point-of-care testing (POCT) has become increasingly prevalent in urgent care settings, yet comparative diagnostic accuracy data remain limited. This multi-center prospective study evaluates the diagnostic performance of common POCT modalities — including rapid streptococcal antigen testing, urinalysis, influenza antigen, and glucose monitoring — against laboratory reference standards across 12 urgent care sites (n = 4,812 encounters).
Point-of-care testing Diagnostic accuracy Sensitivity & specificity Multi-center study
Systematic Review
pp. 19–36
Ann Urgent Care Med. 2026;1(1):19–36  | Open Access
Best Practices for Urgent Care Facility Design and Workflow Optimization: A Systematic Review
Chen L, Rodriguez M, Thompson R, Davis S, Martinez A
This PRISMA-compliant systematic review synthesizes current evidence on urgent care facility design, patient flow optimization, and operational efficiency. We evaluated 42 studies (2015–2025) to provide evidence-based recommendations for facility planning, triage system design, and workflow management applicable to freestanding and health system–affiliated urgent care centers.
Facility design Workflow optimization Patient flow Systematic review PRISMA
Clinical Practice
pp. 37–52
Ann Urgent Care Med. 2026;1(1):37–52  | Open Access
Management of Minor Traumatic Brain Injury in Urgent Care: Evidence-Based Guidelines
Anderson P, Davis S, Miller J, Wilson K, Brown T
Minor traumatic brain injury (mTBI) is among the most common neurologic presentations in urgent care. This guideline applies GRADE methodology to synthesize evidence for evaluation using validated clinical decision tools (PECARN, Canadian CT Head Rule, NEXUS), risk stratification, neuroimaging criteria, and management — including return-to-activity protocols and concussion care pathways for urgent care settings.
mTBI · Concussion PECARN Canadian CT Head Rule GRADE Clinical guideline
Research Letter
pp. 53–58
Ann Urgent Care Med. 2026;1(1):53–58  | Open Access
Antibiotic Prescribing Patterns in Urgent Care: A Five-Year Retrospective Analysis
Taylor R, Wilson J, Garcia M, Kim H, Patel N
We analyzed antibiotic prescribing patterns across 50 urgent care centers (n = 2.1M visits, 2018–2023) to evaluate adherence to antimicrobial stewardship guidelines. Overall antibiotic prescribing rate was 28%, with significant site-level variation (14%–44%), identifying actionable stewardship targets aligned with CDC guidelines.
Antimicrobial stewardship Prescribing patterns Quality improvement
Contribute
For Authors

The Annals welcomes contributions from clinicians, researchers, and educators across all disciplines relevant to urgent care. Peer review is double-blind, rigorous, and constructive — modeled on the standards of leading Annals journals in medicine and surgery.

Submission Requirements

Manuscript portal opens March 2026
AMA citation style (11th ed.) required
Structured abstract ≤250 words
CONSORT / PRISMA / STROBE / SQUIRE
ORCID iDs required for all authors
IRB or ethics approval documentation
Data sharing statement required
AI-use disclosure required
Competing interests disclosure mandatory

Peer Review Standards

Double-blind review (standard)
Minimum 2 expert reviewers per manuscript
Statistical review for all quantitative studies
60-day average review timeline
Structured, constructive feedback forms
Decision: accept / major revise / minor revise / reject
Single revision round standard
Rapid review track for time-sensitive work
~12% initial acceptance target (inaugural)

Post-Acceptance

DOI assigned at acceptance
Ahead-of-print within ~30 days of acceptance
PubMed Central deposition on publication
Author retains copyright (CC BY 4.0)
Article-level metrics provided to authors
Press release support for high-impact papers
Social media promotion via SAUCM channels
Correction / retraction per COPE policy
Preprint policy: accepted with disclosure

Article Processing Charges (APC)

No submission fee · No page charges beyond APC · All published articles freely available to readers
Author Category APC Notes
Standard submission$1,200All accepted article types
Founding institution authorsWaivedFirst 5 articles per founding institutionFounding benefit
CUCP/AUCM fellowship graduates$60050% discount on standard APCFellowship
Early-career researchers (<5 yrs post-training)DiscountedApply at submission; documentation required
Low/middle-income country authorsWaivedPer HINARI eligibility criteriaEquity waiver
Financial hardship waiverAvailableApplication with submission; merit-based review
All readers worldwideFreeOpen access — no paywall for any reader

Ready to submit a manuscript?

Portal opens March 2026. Pre-submission inquiries welcome at journal@saucm.org

Submit a Manuscript →
Peer Review
For Reviewers

The Annals depends on expert volunteer reviewers — the foundation of rigorous scholarship. We seek reviewers with content depth, methodological expertise, and commitment to prompt, constructive critique consistent with the standards of leading medical Annals journals.

Review Timeline & Process

1
Invitation & Conflict Check
Reviewers are matched by expertise, methodology, and specialty. COI screening occurs before every assignment. 5-day response window.
Day 1–5
2
Double-Blind Review
Structured evaluation covering scientific rigor, originality, statistical methodology, clinical relevance, and reporting standards compliance.
Day 6–35
3
Editorial Decision
The handling editor synthesizes reviewer recommendations and issues a decision. Target: within 60 days of initial submission. Reviewers notified of outcome.
Day 36–60
4
Revision & Final Decision
Revised manuscripts returned to original reviewers. Single revision round is standard policy. Authors provided author response form.
Day 61–90

Reviewer Benefits & Recognition

CME/MOC credit for completed reviews (accreditation pending)
Named acknowledgment in each annual issue
Priority consideration for editorial board nomination
25% APC discount on own submissions
Access to pre-publication manuscripts
Annual Reviewer of the Year Award
Reviewer training modules provided
Publons/Web of Science profile credit
🎓
CME/MOC Accreditation — Planned
The Annals plans to offer AMA PRA Category 1 Credit™ for peer review and selected clinical articles following accreditation through Rutgers RBHS CCOE. Consistent with the model offered by Annals of Surgery and Annals of Internal Medicine.

Interested in joining the reviewer pool? Contact the editorial office →

Editorial Leadership
Editorial Board

The Annals editorial board will comprise leading clinicians, researchers, educators, and methodologists in urgent care medicine and related disciplines — drawn from academic medicine, health systems, and national societies. Full roster announced at journal launch.

EIC
Editor-in-Chief
Editor-in-Chief
Announcement Forthcoming
DE
Deputy Editor
Deputy Editor
Research Oversight
ME
Managing Editor
Managing Editor
Operations & Production
RE
Research Editor
Research & Methods
Original Research Track
CE
Clinical Editor
Clinical Practice
Guidelines Track
PE
Pediatric Editor
Pediatric Urgent Care
Pediatric Section
QI
QI & Safety Editor
Quality Improvement
QI & Safety Track
SE
Statistics Editor
Biostatistics & Methods
Methods Review
IE
Informatics Editor
Clinical Informatics & AI
Technology Track
HP
Policy Editor
Health Policy
Policy & Advocacy Track
+
Join as reviewer or board member

Full editorial board roster will be announced at journal launch. We are actively recruiting section editors and international advisory board members. Express interest →

Editorial Standards
Editorial Policies

The Annals of Urgent Care Medicine upholds the highest standards of research integrity, ethical publishing, and transparent peer review — fully aligned with ICMJE recommendations, COPE guidelines, and EQUATOR Network reporting standards.

Authorship & Ethics
Research Integrity
ICMJE authorship criteria required for all authors
IRB or ethics committee approval mandatory
CONSORT / PRISMA / STROBE / SQUIRE reporting
Data sharing statement required for all studies
Statistical review for all quantitative manuscripts
Duplicate or redundant submission prohibited
Transparency
Disclosure & Conflict of Interest
Mandatory COI disclosure using ICMJE form
All funding sources disclosed in final publication
Double-blind review — author identity protected
Reviewer COI screening before every assignment
Editorial board COI policy formally enforced
COPE misconduct guidelines followed
Open Science
Access, Licensing & Data
All articles freely accessible immediately on publication
CC BY 4.0 — author retains copyright
PubMed Central deposition at publication
Preprint policy: accepted with mandatory disclosure
ORCID iD required for all authors at submission
DOI assigned to all published articles
Publication Standards
Quality, Corrections & AI Policy
Plagiarism screening (iThenticate) on all submissions
AI-generated content disclosure required
AI cannot be listed as an author (ICMJE policy)
Corrections and errata published per COPE policy
Retraction policy follows COPE retraction guidelines
Continuous publication model (ahead-of-print)
Indexing Status
Journal Indexing

The Annals has submitted or plans to submit indexing applications to major biomedical databases following inaugural issue publication. PubMed/MEDLINE indexing — the benchmark for medical journal credibility — is the primary target.

PubMed / MEDLINE
Application pending
Web of Science
Application pending
Scopus
Application pending
CINAHL
Application pending
DOAJ
Application planned
ISSN
Application submitted
Google Scholar
Auto-indexed
CrossRef / DOI
Registration planned
EMBASE
Application planned
PubMed Central
Post-acceptance deposit

Indexing applications are submitted following demonstrated publication history. Status updated at each issue.

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Publish in the Annals of Urgent Care Medicine™

Submissions open March 2026. Founding institution authors receive waived APCs for their first five articles. Join the founding cohort shaping the academic future of urgent care medicine.

ICMJE Member COPE Member CC BY 4.0 Open Access EQUATOR Network
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