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Running header: WHEN TO USE URGENT CARE

When to use urgent care

Teena Anderson

HIT100-0803A-04

Instructor Jennifer Winterpacht

Colorado Technical University Online

July 22, 2008

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When to use urgent care

The board of trustees of the Big River Community Hospital wants to add a few

ambulatory services to the hospital. The trustees were a problem deciding on how many or which

ones, so the administrator asked me to research one of the following services:

• Physical Therapy Program

• Surgical center Program

• Urgent Care Program

• Palliative Care Program

• Imaging Program

I have chosen to do research on the urgent care program, to see if it would make an impact on the

emergency care department.

In doing the research, I have found that there are more and more people going to the

emergency room with aliments that are not considered emergencies. In some hospitals it has

become a real problem. The emergency rooms are so overcrowded that you may have to hours to

be attended to. In Northeast Florida, a couple of hospital emergency rooms have started charging

a $100 fee if the patient was not very sick or go elsewhere. The staff will recommend an urgent
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care center or clinic. At one hospital, for the month of October, out of 5,500 patients, 500 were

rerouted to other facilities (Apollo, A. n.d.).

While the idea of urgent care centers goes back to 1984, it is just now starting to take

hold. The idea of urgent care centers is to have a place to go when the doctor’s office closed and

your aliment or injury does not warrant an emergency room visit (Thurston, J. 2008).

So what is urgent care? An urgent care center could be considered a supped-up after

hour’s clinic or doctor’s office. The urgent care center has all the capabilities of a regular

doctor’s office or clinic, without making an appointment. It also has some of the capabilities of

an emergency room, without a long waiting list. The urgency care center can handle non-life

threatening aliments and injuries. The center is a walk-in facility, however you may make

appointments. The center will treat all ages, with a shorter waiting time than the emergency

room.

The Tri-State Urgent Care LLC, out of Kentucky, has made a list of who should use the

urgent care centers:

• Someone who may need to be seen quickly, but can not be seen by their own

doctor.

• Someone who can not get in to see their doctor because the office is full, office is

closed, or out for a holiday.

• The person who hates to sit in the emergency room for hours.

• The person who does not have a regular doctor. (Express Medical Services, n.d.)
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The Tri-State Urgent Care LLC has also provided a list of services their urgent car centers

have:

ILLNESS:

• Colds, Cough, Flu, Sinus Infection

• Sore Throat, Earache, Headache

• Pneumonia, Bronchitis

• Urinary Tract Infection

• Rash, Poison Ivy

• Blood Pressure

• Heart and lung Problems

• And Others

INJURIES:

• Fractures and Dislocations

• Cuts, Lacerations

• Burns

• Minor Eye Problems

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DIAGNOSTIS TEST:

• Lab Work

• HIV & STD’s Testing

• X-Ray

• EKG

• Alcohol Breath Testing

• Drug Screening

PHYSICAL EXAMS:

• School, Sports, Work

• Department of Transportation

VACCINATIONS:

• Traveler’s Vaccines

• Flu Shot

• Hepatitis B

• Tetanus

WORK RELATED INJURIES:

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• Worker’s Compensations for Injuries

• Work Restrictions

• Return to Work Evaluations

• Follow-Up Care

With all the services at are offered at an urgent care center, which would definitely take a load off

an emergency room.

The only draw back I found was the fact that the AAP, (American Academy of Pediatric)

have concerns about children being treated at an urgent care facility. The AAP are concerned that

the facility will have the equipment and supplies on hand that a child might need. The AAP feel

the facility should have staff that is certification, experienced and have the skills to provide basic

and advanced life support (Pediatric Care Recommendations, 2008). There is a list of child size

equipment, supplies, and drugs especially for children.

I believe if the trustees choose an urgent care program and place it close to the hospital,

more people would be inclined to use the urgent care. This would result in a saving not only in

cost, but a saving in time for the emergency room. This will lessen the stress on the employees in

the emergency room.

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References

Apollo, A., (n.d.). E really is for emergency, more hospital say. Retrieved July 21, 2008, from

http://www.ucaoa.org/about/files/E_really_is_for_emergency.pdf

Express Medical Services, (n.d.). Retrieved July 21, 2008, from

http://www.urgentcarecenters.org/services.htm

Pediatric care recommendations for freestanding urgent care facilities, (n.d.). Retrieved July 21,

2008, from http://pediatrics.aappublications.org/cgi/content/full/116/1/258/T2

Thurston, J. (2008), Urgent care centers are another option for families. Retrieved July 21, 2008,

from http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/08052/858932-55.stm