FOR IM
MMEDIATE R
RELEASE CONTACT: CALLI DRETKE 936.435.7516 OR 936.714.654
49 For Your F
Health’s Sake
The R
Ripple Effe
ect Of Non‐Emergentt ER Visits
(Huntsville
e, TX) – Everr wonder wh
hy emergenccy room waitting areas allways seem filled w
with people waiting for hours to gett care? One of the major reasons is that each year m
millions of Americans use emergency rooms for routine med
dical care. Laast year, there were about 10 million vvisits to eme
ergency room
ms for non‐eemergency care. The R) visit costs $383, whilee the averagee doctor’s offfice visit is averagge Emergency Room (ER
appro
oximately $60. Unneccessary ER visits can delaay care for p
people with true emergeencies, and ccost all of uss billion
ns of dollars. The best caare for non‐u
urgent condiitions is in a doctor’s offfice. With a personal physician
n, you can build a relatio
onship and ddevelop med
dical treatments that respecct your priorrities. Knowiing your fam
mily health h istory, your physician caan also plan appro
opriate preve
entive measures. Not to mention, bee available ffor follow‐up
p care to make sure that yo
our treatmen
nt is effectivve. Often, maany of the nation’s 41.2 million uninsu
ured have fe
ew alternativves to using an Emergenncy Room for basic mediical care. They are no
ot the only p
people howe
ever using th
he ER for rouutine care. Th
hose of us w
with insurancce somettimes show up there, too, perhaps o
out of a sensse of conven
nience or lacck of knowlledge. And b
because we aall pay for th
he rising costt of health ccare through
h increased premiiums, copaym
ments and d
deductibles, we all have a stake in co
ontrolling heealth care costs.
Consid
der the ripplle effect of n
non‐emergent ER visits. If an ER trip
ps cost on average more than 4
4.5 times thaat of a visit w
with a familyy doctor or m
minor care clinic; that means all insure
ed individualls are forced
d to collectivvely absorb tthe sticker sh
hock through higher premiiums. When use of mediical services goes up, so do costs. Th
he world of h
health care aas we kn
now it contin
nues to change. Consumers are beinng asked to take a more active role in cost m
managementt associated with the carre they receeive from docctors, hospittals and otheer provid
ders. You caan do your p
part. Find a ffamily physiccian that besst suits yourr needs. Man
ny offices offer e
extended ho
ours and guaarantee same day appoinntments. Hu
untsville Memorial Hospittal is also prroud to supp
port the HMH
H Medical C linic. This facility was esstablished in 1992 tto meet the primary heaalth care nee
eds of the reesidents of W
Walker Coun
nty. It is an ambulatory acute
e care clinic tthat provides care for paatients of alll ages. If you have an emergent condition you shouldn’t hesitate to go to the ER, but if your condition isn’t urgent, check with your doctor first. When you have an ongoing relationship with a primary care physician or minor care clinic, you can get more consistent care from a doctor who knows you, and you can also help keep health care affordable for everyone. When it comes to your health, you only want to be treated by the best. At HMH, you won't find anything less. We developed a team comprised of highly‐trained specialists and medical experts to expand our capabilities and services to the community. We're also proud to report that 99% of our medical staff physicians are board‐certified or board‐eligible. To learn more about our talented medical staff, visit our website at www.huntsvillememorial.com. Happy Easter! Sally Nelson Chief Executive Officer Huntsville Memorial Hospital