As free-standing emergency departments continue to be built in Central Ohio, some fear they are being mistaken for urgent care centers and will drive up costs, according to an article on the Columbus Dispatch website.

“More people on high-deductible health plans ... are just going to get pounded with the higher cost of care,” said Dr. William Wulf, chief executive of Central Ohio Primary Care. “If you’re an employer (paying the healthcare bills), this isn’t creating value.”

Since 2010, five free-standing emergency departments have opened in Central Ohio. Two more are slated to open in Delaware County early next year in the same outpatient center. And Mount Carmel announced plans this month to partner with a Texas-based company, Adeptus Health, to open free-standing emergency departments around central Ohio.

The Ohio Association of Health Plans shares Wulf’s concerns, said Miranda Motter, president and CEO. “Sometimes consumers go to those facilities thinking that they are urgent-care centers, and don’t realize they are a stand-alone emergency department.”

Read the article.