Urgent Care Centers: The New ER?
Side Note: Ah, the irony. Less and less patients are going to the emergency room for an emergency. And, instead, they are going in growing numbers to urgent care centers. But, why? Could it possibly be that there is another flaw in our current health care system? Are patients learning that emergency rooms are no longer the fastest, least complicated and most affordable way to receive immediate care? It seems so. There is a growing trend that patients are turning to urgent care centers to address their urgent, yet nonlife-threatening, medical needs. This new, middle option of urgent care centers (offering services somewhere between an emergency room and a primary care physician) often saves patients significant time and money.
There are currently about 8,800 urgent care centers nationwide, generating about $13 billion in revenue. It is safe to say that this is a growing segment of the medical industry and that urgent care centers have established themselves as a significant part of the health care system. Not only is this newer type of practice increasingly appealing to patients, many doctors, too, are finding the switch from practicing in an emergency room to an urgent care center to also be a positive career change. Practicing in an urgent care center often has less stress than an emergency department, more predictable hours and increased patient interaction. Many physicians find that being an urgent care center physician offers a better work-life balance compared to working in a traditional emergency room. And, as more urgent care centers are popping up, it should be noted that this type of medical practice has its own unique med mal insurance needs. Such urgent care centers require their own urgent care center liability coverage designed especially for their particular practice’s needs. MyMedicalMalpracticeInsurance.com understands urgent care center liability policy needs and can offer you the best coverage at the lowest rates.
Are you a physician seeking Urgent Care Center coverage? If so contact us, for a free, no-obligation quote today.
Urgent care centers fill critical gap in health care
BY JIM DOYLE @ STLtoday.com
Posted: Sunday, March 20, 2011 12:00 am
After years working as an emergency room doctor, Sonny Saggar grew fed up with the crowding and long waiting times, much of it stemming from a glut of patients without real emergencies.
So he became an entrepreneur, hoping to provide a personalized kind of care. Two years ago, he founded Downtown Urgent Care in a storefront at 916 Olive Street in St. Louis – a walk-in clinic that serves a mix of working professionals, parents and their kids and out-of-towners. This month he opened another center in Eureka and plans to open a third in Overland.
