On-demand Urgent Care Evolves as an Alternative to Expensive ER Visits
Getting sick or injured is never convenient. But your healthcare can be.
The healthcare industry is seeing some much-needed innovation in how to better serve patients. Seattle is fortunate to be rich in traditional healthcare resources, but new options for receiving care are shaking up the model. ZoomCare is one of the innovators helping people get the healthcare they need when they need it.
Hospital systems across the nation are struggling with overcrowding in emergency rooms, often leading to long wait times and boarding patients in hallways. Many of the cases aren’t life-threatening emergencies. But people don’t know what other options they have at odd hours or if they don’t have a primary care doctor. Costs and copays are going up too. CBS News reported in 2020 that Washington hospitals charge an average of $1,841 per ER visit. Clearly, acute care needs a makeover.
Streamlining the acute care system
Life-threatening emergencies should always go to a hospital as quickly as possible, like heart attack, stroke, traumatic head injury, severe allergic reactions, or severe bleeding. For most everything else, an urgent care can assess the issue and provide a treatment plan.
One way ZoomCare is innovating care options is with ZoomCare Super Emergency Care. For example, the ZoomCare Super, located in Bellevue, provides elevated services as an alternative to emergency room care and costs. There are high-level imaging options here, including ultrasound, CT, and X-ray. Patients can also get an electrocardiogram. Providers here treat serious but not life-threatening injuries and conditions, like concussions and broken bones. Visits cost less than half what an ER visit does in Seattle.
For common illnesses and minor injuries, an urgent care clinic offers fast assistance. These conditions are often painful, like strep throat, UTIs, cuts, fever, headache, and more. You don’t want to wait for care when you or your child feels bad. However, not all urgent cares work the same way. Taking a patient-first approach, ZoomCare solves for what people want in convenient, quality healthcare:
- Quick service when needed
- Quality care delivered compassionately and accurately
- Less cost for care
Quick service when needed
Get seen on my schedule.
Twist an ankle at the soccer game on Saturday? Don’t want to miss work to have your rash looked at? You can book weekend, evening, and some late-night appointments. Based on their feedback, ZoomCare patients deeply appreciate the on-demand availability of same-day/next-day appointments. Most patients will be in and out within an hour.
Book an appointment online.
No sitting on hold or waiting for callbacks. See immediately what Seattle metro locations have available visits and choose what works best for you. Not sure if your issue qualifies as urgent care? No problem. When you book online, you can enter your issue, and the scheduler will route you to the right kind of care.
Get care near my home or work.
From West Seattle to Shoreline to Overlake, ZoomCare has 20 locations in the Seattle metro area. There are also video visit options.
Low/no commitment.
ZoomCare doesn’t ask you to buy a membership or subscription or establish care before you can be seen. However, if you don’t have a doctor, ZoomCare offers Primary Care for ongoing preventive and chronic healthcare. Their providers are accepting new patients.
All-in-one visit.
Get certain labs and medications in clinic.
Quality care delivered compassionately and accurately
Has great reviews. All the Seattle locations have four stars or more on Google from hundreds of reviewers. The most common comments are about providers include caring, attentive, professional, friendly, validating, and thorough.
Less cost for care
Saves me money.
The self-pay option is seven times less than a typical ER visit. If you have insurance, urgent care visits at ZoomCare are billed as primary care visits, typically a lower rate than more acute care.
Accepts insurance.
ZoomCare accepts most major insurance plans. Whenever you book a healthcare appointment, it’s best to check with your insurer to verify your copay, deductible, and network status. Currently, the ZoomCare clinics in Woodville and Edmonds accept Medicare/Medicare Advantage, but this will be expanding to more clinics in the near future.
In making services more accessible, ZoomCare brings many acute services out of the hospitals and into the neighborhoods. This benefits hospitals, because it allows their ER staff to concentrate on people fighting for their lives. Patients benefit because they pay less for faster service, so they feel better as soon as possible. The current healthcare model is limping along, so let’s try something new. Schedule at a ZoomCare near you today.