Posted on 08/06/2008 6:43:55 AM PDT by reaganaut1
Patients who need immediate care for injuries and illness, be it a nail-gun puncture or a severe stomach bug, are increasingly turning to walk-in urgent-care clinics. These facilities aim to fill the gap between the growing shortage of primary-care doctors and a shrinking number of already-crowded hospital emergency departments, with no appointment necessary and extended evening and weekend hours. Urgent-care clinics are staffed by physicians, offer wait times as little as a few minutes and charge $60 to $200 depending on the procedure -- a fraction of the typical $1,000-plus emergency department visit. Some offer discounts and payment plans for the uninsured; for those with coverage, co-payments vary by insurance plan but may be less than half the amount of an ER visit, which can range from $50 to $200.
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Urgent-care centers first appeared about 20 years ago, but didn't catch on widely among consumers, who preferred to see their own doctor or seek care in a hospital ER. But the industry began resurging in the mid-1990s, and demand has increased in recent years as more consumers experience long waits in the emergency room, or wait weeks to get an appointment with their own doctor, says Robin Weinick, a researcher at Massachusetts General Hospital's Institute for Health Policy.
(Excerpt) Read more at online.wsj.com ...
you can wait a long time at urgent cares too.
i had pneumonia and an ear infection from swimming in february.
i went to an urgent care close by for $110.00 up front.
the doctor was perhaps a russian immigrant? and very good.
You hit the nail on the head. I had to bring my wife to ER a few months ago due to some bleeding. About half the patients could speak English and there is no doubt in my mind that we were the only ones in the ER with insurance. The fees were outrageous. The hospital has no choice. Those with insurance are paying for those that have no insurance. We have socialized medicine in this country. We call it THE ER!
If I can’t get in to see my regular Dr. that is the first place I would go. The only way I will ever go in to an emergency room again is if it’s a matter of minutes till death.
Could be, but it’s probably more of an issue of overhead.
We use walk-in clinics for emergencies like stitching up a cut, broken bone (most do have x-ray machines and an ER isn’t going to set it for you anyway, you’ll have to go to the orthopedist for that), and anything that comes up when our regular GP is out of town.
But most urgent care facilities don’t have labs, don’t have radiologists on site, only employ one physician, but many times it’s a physician’s assistant that you see, not the regular MD. They employ a nurse or two, and minor office staff.
That’s probably the main reason for the lower costs, they’re basically a dr’s office with just a few extra benefits like x-ray and more convenient hours.
We have a new urgent care in our area just for Pediatrics, and their hours are 6 PM to midnight...I think that’s a great idea.
urgent care centers have their place but they are not a substitute for primary care or ERs.
Took my son to an urgent care center, they missed a diagnosis that the nurse in our primary DRs office made in 5 seconds. Primary doctor confirmed and treatment started, possibly preventing lifelong nerve damage.
urgent care MD missed it because he was too busy and didn’t know us.
“Euthanize illegal aliens in triage.
Problem solved.”
You should not say that, even as a joke. Deporting illegal aliens is one thing, but murdering them is ... murder.
I have a better solution: become the world’s largest exporter of illegal aliens.
I was in an urgent-care facility last month with my wife. There were three Somali families there: all three had MaineCare (free medical care for Maine’s illegals, er, indigent). All also had an iPhone, a BlackBerry, an iPod, a cell phone, or a combination of any of the above. As a I made a call from outside the entrance, one of the families left in a brand new Toyota.
Your tax dollars at work... and a symptom of why this country is dying.
Granted that a large portion of our patient population was minority and were of low income status.My experience and these stats may well not apply to ER's whose populations are middle class or above (I only worked in one ER) but the sad fact is that *our* patient population thought of us as a walk in clinic that never closed and that *had* to take you in regardless of how trivial your complaint was and regardless of your ability....or willingness....to pay.
I am sure these places are “out of network” which would render my insurance useless immediately.
I had a finger stitched up at an urgent care center, and was seen promptly and they did an excellent job. Their only problem was the lack of a tetanus vaccine, which was in short supply for a 2 month period several years ago. They called around and even some hospitals did not have any. My choices were to go to a hospital ER in another city, or go to the county health department the next day. I chose the latter, which was a very humbling experience, having to wait for several hours in the company of mostly indigent or Medicaid patients, mostly there for obsterical care. At least the tetanus shot only cost me $15.
With a bouncing nearly three year old boy with severe asthma, the urgent care centers have been a miracle. From check in to first check, about 20 minutes unless he’s bleeding. From in door to in car going home, at most three hours, including medical treatment. We’ve waited that long at a general hospital ER when he had 104 temp waiting to SEE a doctor.
Doc-in-the-box
my sense is, you’re right.
i lucked out and found a competent dr at an urgent care.
on the other hand, an elderly friend of mine went to eisenhower hospital 2x and was misdiagnosed; they had an endless stream of flu patients and took her as a flu patient!
she had pneumonia but it was discovered on the 3rd exam by a private dr.
it’s a crap shoot.
It is a crap shoot and we have the best system in the world. As with everything you can improve your chances of good service with a personal relationship.
With nationalized healthcare there is no relationship and you take what the govt is willing to give you.
i did not say anything about nationalizing our health care system.
ours may be the best,
but let tell you,
we got some doctors and dentists that suck!
Didn’t mean to imply that you were pushing nationalized healthcare. Some doctors and nurses do stink, just like any profession. Whats great about our system is we have a choice who we see. If the AMA got bent and let us have the information to determine doctor and hospital competency it would be even better.
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