Centra Health is investing in a fast-growing trend: a hybrid facility that combines a freestanding emergency department with an urgent care center.
Centra has partnered with Intuitive Health, a Texas-based company that pioneered the model in 2008. The company has partnered with health systems in Arizona, Delaware, Florida, Kentucky, Indiana, Ohio, Oklahoma, Texas, Virginia and Washington, according to a press release from Centra.
The model is designed to relieve pressure on hospital emergency departments — in this case, at Centra’s Lynchburg General Hospital — while removing the burden on patients to decide what level of care they need.
“This partnership reflects Centra’s continued investment in modernizing how care is delivered so we can better serve our community today and into the future,” Richard Tugman, president and CEO of Centra, said in the press release. “By bringing urgent care and emergency services together in a single, purpose‐built facility, we’re making it easier for patients to access the right level of care when they need it, while helping reduce common frustrations such as long wait times.”
Every patient who walks in will be evaluated by a provider, who will determine whether the patient should receive urgent care or emergency services.
Patients frequently seek care in emergency departments for non-urgent conditions, often because of confusion about health care navigation and the severity of their condition. This strains emergency resources unnecessarily, according to a study published in the National Library of Medicine.
Centra plans to build the new facility at Timberlake Road and Logans Lane near the U.S. 501 interchange in Lynchburg. Construction is expected to begin by the end of the year, with an opening to follow within 12 to 18 months.
While researchers have extensively studied freestanding ERs and urgent care centers independently, there is limited independent research on hybrid models that integrate both services under one roof.
Leadership at Intuitive Health will guide the design and construction of the facility and provide day‐to‐day administrative support. Centra will staff the facility with physicians and clinical team members, according to the press release.
The dual-care model allows hospitals to share costs and reduce financial risks that come with expansion, according to Intuitive Health.
Rapid expansion of freestanding ERs
Freestanding emergency departments have expanded rapidly in the U.S. over the last 20 years. They promise improved access to emergency care, greater convenience and reduced crowding at hospital-based emergency departments, according to a study published in JAMA.
These facilities offer the same scope of services that traditional emergency departments do but are not attached to hospitals.
Many visits to freestanding emergency departments tend to be for nonemergency conditions that could be treated in a lower-cost setting, such as an urgent care center or a physician’s office. Research also shows that these facilities are more likely to open in higher-income suburban areas rather than in rural or underserved communities.
Centra’s new hybrid facility will be located near a busy retail area in Lynchburg. In that ZIP code, the median household income is $68,872, compared to $57,947 citywide, according to census data. About 5.2% of residents in the area are uninsured, compared with 6.7% across Lynchburg.
Urgent care centers more cost-effective
Urgent care centers, by contrast, have demonstrated a clearer impact on reducing emergency department use.
Research shows that urgent care expansion can reduce emergency department visits by about 17% in some regions, saving an estimated $3.3 billion annually by diverting non-urgent cases.
These centers are often located in retail areas to improve access to urgent, unscheduled medical treatment for patients whose conditions aren’t life-threatening. Patients who need a higher level of care are referred to a specialist or to the nearest emergency department.
Urgent care is also much more cost-effective for patients because overhead costs are lower and they’re not staffed with highly specialized clinicians. The average urgent care visit costs $171 compared to $1,646 for an emergency department visit.
