We're seeing what are colloquially referred to as 'Doc on the Box' clinics popping up on every street corner, mainly in response to the skyrocketing cost of hospital care, but a new report from Rice University shows all doc in the boxes are far from the same, News Radio 1200 WOAI reports.
Hospitals, tired of seeing their ER businesses purloined by the 'doc in the box' clinics, have opened what are called 'free standing ERs' in strip malls to try to compete.
But Dr. Vivian Ho of Rice says, even though 'free standing ER's' look similar to the traditional 'urgent care clinics,' they are far from the same when it comes time to pay the bill.
"The average price at free standing emergency rooms was ten times higher than at an urgent care center," she said, pointing out that both facilities generally treat the same types of injuries and ailments.
"Because a free standing emergency room looks very similar to an 'urgent care clinic,' people see them and say 'lets just go here!,' but they don't realize the difference in price."
Dr. Ho studied an amazing 16 million insurance claims from patients who received treatment at both types of clinics. She says an upper respiratory infection treated at an urgent care clinic cost the patient about $200. The exact same infection, treated at a free standing ER cost about $1300.