Freestanding ERs and urgent care centers having identity crisis

Freestanding emergency centers are getting complaints about large, hidden costs for the treatment of problems ranging from minor injuries to colds, according to an article on the D CEO website.

Independently owned urgent care or freestanding emergency centers in general are able to “bait and switch consumers,” one patient alleged. “People are coming in for urgent care—it’s not our goal to go to the ER. 

“The transparency of what is and what isn’t considered an ‘emergent’ service determines the price point. There should be a list of services that is distinctly offered, so people are aware. But that list doesn’t exist.”

With a highly profitable business model, freestanding ERs are proliferating in Texas, according to the article.

Read the article.