Does Urgent Care Affect EMS Systems?

[firedude 985]

After reading the below article about how an upstate EMS system is effected by 2 very popular urgent care centers, it came to me that many of these centers may "hog" EMS. I'm not saying every urgent care center does, just my overall observations. Could any of our area's urgent care centers support their own commercial transport service? How can the EMS industry and Urgent Care Centers work together? Any opinions on this?

EMS: How urgent care affects you

Two new high-tech urgent care centers are due to open in Saratoga County within the next eight months, and a third has recently started the permitting process.

Full Article: http://www.saratogia...wmode=fullstory

[INIT915 1,119]

After reading the bellow article about how an upstate EMS system is effected by 2 very popular urgent care centers, it came to me that many of these centers may "hog" EMS. I'm not saying every urgent care center does, just my overall observations. Could any of our area's urgent care centers support their own commercial transport service? How can the EMS industry and Urgent Care Centers work together? Any opinions on this?

Full Article: http://www.saratogia...wmode=fullstory

If by hog, do you mean reduce unnecessary 911 calls and subsequent transports? If so, I say good!

[firedude 985]

If by hog, do you mean reduce unnecessary 911 calls and subsequent transports?

Yes.

[INIT915 1,119]

Yes.

Then that's not really "hogging". That's a more appropriate disposition for many of those patients, versus taking up valuable ambulance transport time and ER space.

[dadbo46 50]

If by hog, do you mean reduce unnecessary 911 calls and subsequent transports? If so, I say good!

Absolutely ! Urgent care centers reduce the demand for EMS, unclog the ER passenger waiting line and reduce health costs.

Yep......sounds like a good plan to me !

[x635 4,066]

We have a bunch of private Urgent Care and "Stand Alone" ER's that are run by the hospitals.

EMS can transport to the stand alone ER's at their discretion. However, the issue is people arriving POV presenting with chest pain or stroke or other sort of timely life-or-death issue. In these cases, it's a 911 call for urgent transfer.

ER's are also getting a little crazy. You can go online and "book" your visit, and I just saw an average wait time billboard the other day.

I feel these facilites, when operated by hospitals, are a great resource for rural areas. It also takes a lot of the burden off ER's.

[Bnechis 3,961]

Absolutely ! Urgent care centers reduce the demand for EMS, unclog the ER passenger waiting line and reduce health costs.

Yep......sounds like a good plan to me !

I generally agree, except does it really reduce health care costs or just transfer them to other entities? Hospitals have tremendious infastructure and personnel costs, when companies can skim patients without those costs and then when in over there heads ship the patient to the hospital, the hospitals lose the revinue, but no the costs. If its a free standing facility that is ownd by the local hospital then they are supporting themselves.

[FireMedic049 597]

I generally agree, except does it really reduce health care costs or just transfer them to other entities? Hospitals have tremendious infastructure and personnel costs, when companies can skim patients without those costs and then when in over there heads ship the patient to the hospital, the hospitals lose the revinue, but no the costs. If its a free standing facility that is ownd by the local hospital then they are supporting themselves.

When you say the hospitals lose the revenue, are you referring to the revenue from billing for an ER visit, assuming that if not for the urgent care center, the patient would've gone to the ER?