Injury and illness can be stressful, especially when determining the proper treatment and where to seek it. Below are a handful of common myths surrounding freestanding emergency rooms and the facts that will better equip you to make intelligent medical choices for you and your family.
MYTH #1: I won’t get the proper care I need if I don’t go to the hospital.
FACT: Freestanding emergency rooms are simply emergency rooms not tied to a hospital. With statistically shorter wait times, high quality, and licensed physicians and nurses, freestanding emergency rooms provide care for patients with all types of emergent medical issues requiring rapid response. If we determine that hospitalization is necessary after you have been diagnosed and treated at our emergency room, we arrange for transportation and admittance to a nearby hospital. If you need follow-up care by your primary care physician or a specialist, we will be happy to refer you and share our findings.
MYTH #2: Freestanding Emergency Rooms are the same as Urgent Care Clinics.
FACT: Unlike urgent care clinics, freestanding emergency rooms are better equipped to handle acute and critical conditions and operate 24/7. At Ally Medical’s six facility locations in Bastrop, South and Central Austin, Round Rock, Spring, and Clear Lake, appointments are not needed, and patients may come in any time, day or night, with little or no waiting. Our emergency rooms also have the ability to provide short-term observation for up to 23 hours in comfortable rooms. In contrast, urgent care centers cannot offer a short-term observation or direct admissions to a hospital.
MYTH #3: Freestanding Emergency Rooms won’t accept uninsured patients.
FACT: All patients, insured or uninsured, are welcome. All patients will receive a medical screening exam at no charge at Ally Medical ER. After this exam, if the physician does not find a medical emergency, they will discuss with you what they believe is the best diagnostic and treatment pathway and how much these services would cost with our competitive prompt payment pricing. If you agree to this further testing and treatment and pay for the services during your visit, you will not receive a bill afterward.
MYTH #4: Freestanding Emergency Rooms won’t accept insurance.
FACT: Freestanding emergency rooms accept private insurance from patients. Ally Medical Emergency Rooms can process all private insurance plans and provides a team of Patient Advocates to help address any billing questions. Our commitment to you is to be transparent on the billing for the care you receive.
MYTH #5: All Freestanding Emergency Rooms are the same.
FACT: Ally Medical is owned and managed by local, board-certified physicians reinventing emergency care – with more caring and less waiting. Our patient-first philosophy offers a new and better way to treat medical emergencies and empowers the health care team to provide the proper care immediately. Our emergency rooms are designed to eliminate the wait and make patients feel more comfortable and less stressed. We offer the highest standard of emergency medical services, and our physicians evaluate each patient’s condition to develop the most appropriate care plan and closely monitor all patients.
“I feel like I take better care of patients here than in a busy trauma center. It all comes down to the amount of time we have with patients. It’s not just putting out fires and stabilizing people. We have the time to fully take care of patients, from history to diagnosis and beyond. We can ensure the patients understand what we’ve done in addition to the next steps after the ED stay, and we are often able to help the patients set up the next step. Working in this setting has restored the humanity of medicine for me.” – Dr. Travis Sims, Ally Medical Director, Central Austin
For more information on Freestanding Emergency Rooms and frequently asked questions, visit www.allymedical.com/faq.
