For the past few years it seems as if we have been being weaned off of the emergency room. It is frequently reported that the public tends to use the ER like a primary care doctor but it is much more expensive than a doctor office visit. So, many of us have got message and have turned to "urgent care" facilities when we have a sore throat or a sprained ankle and it's the weekend or we can't get in to see our regular doctor. We thought we were doing the right and recommended thing.
But whoever has been spreading the word to avoid the ER hadn't been talking to the ER Doctors!
In a recent poll by the American College of Emergency Physicians nearly 3000 physicians were asked their opinions about urgent care centers. Eighty-six percent said there was an urgent care facility within ten miles of the ER where they worked. More than half of the physicians felt that the centers were marketing themselves as an alternative to the ER. Three fourths of the polled doctors said they were concerned that patients with serious.medical conditions might seek help through the Urgent care centers. They felt this delayed patients with serious medical conditions getting proper treatments in an ER.
Young people find the urgent care facility affordable and efficient. But many Emergency Departments and Primary Care doctors are concerned about the rapid growth and competition presented by these clinics. The majority of ER doctors would like to see the states set specific guidelines for staffing and equipping urgent care centers.
But the bottom line is that many of the surveyed doctors feel that these centers are okay to treat minor sprains and cuts but "don't have the capabilities that emergency departments do for complicated diagnoses and treatments."
But if there is not one near you now, hang on, there is probably one coming soon.
But whoever has been spreading the word to avoid the ER hadn't been talking to the ER Doctors!
In a recent poll by the American College of Emergency Physicians nearly 3000 physicians were asked their opinions about urgent care centers. Eighty-six percent said there was an urgent care facility within ten miles of the ER where they worked. More than half of the physicians felt that the centers were marketing themselves as an alternative to the ER. Three fourths of the polled doctors said they were concerned that patients with serious.medical conditions might seek help through the Urgent care centers. They felt this delayed patients with serious medical conditions getting proper treatments in an ER.
Young people find the urgent care facility affordable and efficient. But many Emergency Departments and Primary Care doctors are concerned about the rapid growth and competition presented by these clinics. The majority of ER doctors would like to see the states set specific guidelines for staffing and equipping urgent care centers.
But the bottom line is that many of the surveyed doctors feel that these centers are okay to treat minor sprains and cuts but "don't have the capabilities that emergency departments do for complicated diagnoses and treatments."
But if there is not one near you now, hang on, there is probably one coming soon.
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