Some are suped up overpriced urgent cares. A handful provide some real value.Ark03 said:I work in employer benefits, so I hear from a lot of people who go to FSEDs for whatever reason. If the only real difference is FSEDs can't accept Medicare, then why to FSEDs always tend to send their real emergency cases to the real ER attached to their hospital?The Wonderer said:The only real difference between FSEDs and those attached to acute care hospitals is that FSEDs cannot accept Medicare/Medicaid/Tricare payments for services.Good Bull Jones 17 said:
Not sure if this is happening all over the country, but I've noticed in Houston, San Antonio, and College Station, in the nice parts of town especially, these "corner ER's" that are not attached to a full hospital or a strip center are popping up everywhere.
They are freestanding ERs and have been around since ~2010.
What's going on the business end of these?
They are identical to the ER you'd find attached to a hospital with onsite imaging, labs, and an ER or family medicine trained physician.
Are they just huge cash flow centers?
Depends on the volume and operations. Obviously, those seeing 30+ patients per day ("PPD") make a lot more than those that see 5 PPD.
Do they charge more for their services since they're convenient, or because they can?
Both.
I see their main value in
1. People who get emergencies after typical urgent hours, such as a laceration. Much better choice than the hospital.
2. Known recurrent conditions that require frequent emergency visits that are too much for your local urgent care to handle but rarely require hospitalization.
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