SPORTS
I saw a patient in my office recently that had injured his knee playing soccer. He had immediate pain and swelling in the knee. He was told at the field that he “needed to go to the ER.” He then went on to explain that he waited nearly 4 hours in the emergency room before being seen by one of the physicians. He was told that “nothing is broken”, and if his symptoms persisted, he should see an orthopedic doctor. His out of pocket cost for that visit to the emergency room was $1000.
He made an appointment at my office several weeks later when his knee continued to give out and the pain persisted. He was examined and an MRI was performed to confirm the presence of an ACL tear. At this point, he had already missed 4 weeks of work, and he would still need surgery to correct the issue. Unfortunately this scenario, or one very similar, occurs on a daily basis in my practice.
Orthopedic injuries are exceedingly common in our society. For many years, the model has always been the same following an injury at home, at work, or on the playing field. Go to the ER first, and then get referred out to an orthopedic surgeon’s office. Over the past few years, insurance companies have shifted the burden of healthcare costs to the patients in the form of extra fees, high deductibles, and inflated copayments. Patients have become educated consumers, seeking out more efficient, lower cost alternatives to the emergency department for their orthopedic injuries.
Orthopedic urgent care centers provide immediate access to orthopedic specialists for acute injuries without the long wait times seen at most emergency rooms. This eliminates the need for unnecessary emergency room visits for sprains, strains, and most fractures. Patients no longer are exposed to high emergency room copayments, and they receive a diagnosis and treatment for their orthopedic injury much faster than in the past.
OrthoRI is pleased to announce the opening of OrthoRI Express, our new orthopedic urgent care center for acute orthopedic injuries. This service extends into the evening on week days and is available on Saturdays as well. An orthopedic specialist will evaluate your injury and initiate treatment immediately. We believe this will provide superior orthopedic care at a far lower cost to patients throughout Southern New England.
Call 777-7000 for an appointment!! Click the link below for more information!
