In a move to attract patients and meet demands for fast access to health care, LewisGale Regional Health System has partnered with a West Virginia urgent care company.

LewisGale has signed a collaborative agreement with MedExpress Urgent Care that includes a preferred physician referral network. The agreement aims to bring patients to both providers, with LewisGale physicians suggesting patients seek after-hours care at MedExpress and MedExpress referring patients for additional care to LewisGale specialists. Under the agreement, MedExpress also will refer patients who don’t have a primary care physician to LewisGale doctors.

The agreement, which does not include any exchange of money, comes as urgent care has become a hot trend in the Roanoke Valley, with several new businesses entering the market this year.

Already Carilion Clinic has opened three locations of its new urgent care business, VelocityCare, with sites in Roanoke County, Christiansburg and Daleville. Another VelocityCare is set to open at Westlake June 16.

Two other urgent care businesses are also open: UCare Health Center in Bonsack and Doctors Express in Roanoke.

In announcing the deal with LewisGale, MedExpress also shared its plans for opening more sites in the area and state.

MedExpress opened a center in Salem last month and has plans for another site on Electric Road in the Cave Spring area and a third to-be-determined Roanoke location, said Dr. Neil Morandi, vice president of operations for MedExpress. MedExpress plans to open up to a dozen Virginia locations this year including in Christiansburg, Lynchburg and Staunton, Morandi said.