It\u2019s Saturday afternoon, and your 4-year-old is bleeding from a gash on his face after a playtime mishap.<\/p>\n

Should you go to the emergency room or the urgent care clinic?<\/p>\n

VHC Health<\/strong> in Arlington, Va., plans to soon join a small but growing number of hospitals moving to resolve this dilemma by offering both types of care at a single outpatient center. Officials at the hospital, formerly Virginia Hospital Center<\/strong>, say they hope to start construction this year on a facility in nearby Falls Church. They\u2019re touting it as the first of its kind in Virginia.<\/p>\n

\u201cOur model aims to address this uncertainty by offering triage and directing patients to the appropriate service, ensuring they receive timely and cost-effective care,\u201d said Adrian Stanton<\/strong>, a vice president at VHC.<\/p>\n

At its combo facility, the ER will be open 24\/7, with the urgent care operating extended hours that could include some evenings and weekends, he said.<\/p>\n

Fairfax County officials are still reviewing the building plans, a process expected to last into the fall. It is estimated construction will take 18 months.<\/p>\n

VHC would join about a dozen health systems in 10 states working with Intuitive Health to open hybrid ER-urgent care facilities.<\/strong> Founded by emergency physicians, Intuitive ran independent hybrid centers in Texas before Altamont Capital Partners<\/strong>, a multibillion-dollar private equity firm, bought a majority stake and began partnering with hospitals.<\/p>\n

At the facilities, doctors decide whether a patient needs urgent or emergency care \u2014 the health system bills accordingly \u2014 and inform the patient of their decision before testing or treatment begins.<\/p>\n

Emergency care is almost always more expensive than urgent care<\/strong>. For patients who might otherwise show up at the ER with an urgent care-level problem \u2014 a small cut that requires stitches or an infection treatable with antibiotics \u2014 the savings could be hundreds or thousands of dollars.<\/p>\n

For instance, at UF Health\u2019s three hybrid facilities in Jacksonville, Fla., urgent care services are offered for an \u201call-inclusive\u201d $250 fee <\/strong>for patients who pay cash.<\/p>\n

While no research has been conducted on this new hybrid model, consumer advocates worry that hospitals are more likely to route patients to costlier ER-level care whenever possible. For instance, some services that trigger higher-priced, ER-level care at UF Health\u2019s facilities \u2014 such as bloodwork and ultrasounds \u2014 can be obtained at some urgent care centers.<\/p>\n

\u201cThat sounds crazy, that a blood test can trigger an ER fee, which can cost thousands of dollars,\u201d said Cynthia Fisher<\/strong>, founder and chair of PatientRightsAdvocate.org<\/a>.<\/p>\n

The centers can increase hospital profits because they help attract patients, leading to more revenue through diagnostic testing and referrals for specialists or inpatient care.<\/p>\n

On a recent visit to one of UF Health\u2019s facilities, several patients said in interviews that they sought a short wait for care. None had sat in the waiting room for more than five minutes.<\/p>\n

\u201cSometimes urgent care sends you to the ER, so here you can get everything,\u201d said Andrea Cruz<\/strong>, 24, who was pregnant and came in for shortness of breath. Cruz said she was being treated as an ER patient because she needed blood tests and monitoring.<\/p>\n

Read my full story here<\/a>.<\/p>\n

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This article is not available for syndication due to republishing restrictions. If you have questions about the availability of this or other content for republication, please contact NewsWeb@kff.org<\/a>.<\/em><\/p>\n
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