December 24	All ARC Clinics	8am-5pm
	All ARC After Hour Clinics	Closed 5pm-9pm
December 25	ARC Round Rock & Southwest	10am-2pm
December 26	All ARC Clinics	8am-5pm
	All ARC After Hour Clinics	5pm-9pm

History

Austin Regional Clinic began in 1980

Austin Regional Clinic was founded in 1980 by family practitioner Norman H. Chenven, MD. Chenven’s goal was to provide affordable health care to what was then a city of only 345,496. Inviting pediatricians Thomas Zavaleta, MD, and Carol Faget, MD to join his efforts, together they established what is now one of the largest multispecialty group practices in Central Texas. Their mission, to provide access to quality, affordable health care in Austin and nearby communities such as Cedar Park, Pflugerville, and Round Rock, was realized and expanded exponentially throughout the upcoming years.

Black and white image of ARC's founder, Norman H. Chenven, MD. Chenven

two pictures showing doctors seeing pediatric patients during a well-child visit

Built with innovation

Over forty years ago, Austin’s healthcare community consisted primarily of solo and small group practices. Healthcare delivery throughout the United States was changing in response to employers demanding relief from spiraling insurance costs. Health Maintenance Organizations (HMOs) arose across the country, hoping to slow the increasing cost of care.

ARC’s trio of founding physicians took the unprecedented action of entering into a partnership with PruCare — Prudential Insurance Company's experiment in developing Austin's first health plan and health maintenance organization. Envisioning a medical group broadly available to the entire Austin community, they recruited additional physicians into the group and opened new clinics throughout the city. From its beginnings, ARC distinguished itself from other medical groups by offering services and conveniences smaller practices could not afford to offer, and established a system of quality assurance guaranteeing a high standard of care throughout the organization. Clearly, the medical choice for area residents, and as the 1980s concluded, the trusted healthcare organization operated 12 clinics throughout Austin and Round Rock.

Success and growth

For the healthcare community, the economic boom of the 1990s marked another bold Austin Regional Clinic decision. Noting the public had begun valuing healthcare choice over closed physician practices, ARC took a risk, resulting in the greatest period of change for the organization.

In 1993, ARC terminated its PruCare contract and negotiated new agreements with a wide selection of health plans. Now, patients had the option of staying with their ARC doctor(s) or advanced practice clinician(s) (APCs) regardless of the health plan their employer chose. When free to choose, over 90% of our patients continued seeing their ARC doctors or APCs. This freedom of choice allowed Austin Regional Clinic to open and/or relocate another 10 clinics throughout the 1990s.

old image of an ARC hospital and a man beside an old signboard for Austin Regional Clinic Prucare

Growing with our patients

During the first two decades of the 21st century, ARC responded to growth in surrounding communities, opening new clinics in Austin, Cedar Park, Leander, Pflugerville, Hutto, Round Rock, Kyle, Manor, Buda, Bee Cave, Dripping Springs, Georgetown, Liberty Hill, Bastrop, West Lake Hills, and Lockhart, meaning ARC now serves Austin and 15 area communities and has expanded to more than 35 clinics. As the Austin and Central Texas area expands and grows, so does ARC.

Always committed to access, quality, and coordination

ARC demonstrates its focus on quality, affordable, coordinated care every day by offering multiple specialties, on-site access to services like lab and radiology, secure digital communications between patients and care teams, and clinical research studies for new treatments and medications.

Over 700,000 patients can access care at any ARC clinic and take advantage of services like Same-Day Care, After Hours care, and 24/7 on-demand virtual urgent care with NormanMD. Through innovation and initiative, ARC has stayed true to the original mission while helping the whole Central Texas community thrive.

In 2025, the physicians, APCs, and staff of ARC celebrated over 45 years of caring for the community.

Austin Regional Clinic team at a ribbon cutting ceremony

The road ahead

ARC plans to continue enhancing health care in the region. Two new outpatient surgery centers, each adjoined with an ARC specialty clinic, open in Round Rock and South Austin in 2026. In addition, ARC is adding MRI and CT scan radiology services to make access easier for patients. Also in 2026, the City of Lockhart welcomes a new ARC clinic.

As an organization committed to value-based care, you can rely on ARC to continue investing in and expanding solutions that provide access — in-person and digital — to connected, comprehensive, and compassionate care.

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