For any service that brings people convenience, an alternative must always be there. When it comes to treatments and medical care, the options are many as well. Emergency cases, in particular, are widespread concerns that have demanded countless alternatives.
Fortunately, there are now alternatives out there and patients can today choose from the many options out there to get the care and services they need; from walk-in clinics, telemedicine, retail clinics within larger stores, to urgent care clinics, there are plenty of choices out there.
But while appreciating the fact that there are different choices available, it will be prudent to assess why people need these more than anything. When someone needs emergency treatment, getting the service on time and hassle-free is what they need most.
However, this has never been the case across the United States and Texas -particularly where people still struggle to reach the best emergency room San Antonio, as the distance may be a factor.
At times, many patients have seen some patients pass on as they wait for services from hospital-based emergency rooms that have exposed them to the worst places to seek treatment.
But looking on the other side of the coin, it cannot go without mentioning how these treatment spots have offered excellent services to people in the past. In fact, in the past, when someone needed emergency treatment, the only trusted place to go to was the emergency rooms within the hospital.
Divergent Development of Emergency Care
The modern-day medical field is a vast and dynamic sector. What makes this possible is the need for varied services for more comfort while ensuring quality services. For this reason, there have been recent developments in medical centres where people can get better treatment from hospital-based emergency rooms. One of the newest products is establishing freestanding emergency rooms that are still allied to the hospitals, though but do not share a similar roof or compound.
Another alternative is the private emergency rooms. These are privately-owned medical care facilities that take care of emergency concerns. Many people are currently working on establishing these to curb the significant inconvenience of hospital-based emergency rooms. Below are some of the shortcomings that private emergency rooms address.
Overcrowding
One of the most significant shortcomings of a hospital-based emergency room is the issue of overcrowding. Just anyone who has gone to such places can attest to the challenge this issue brings to patients. Lack of furniture, inadequate medical personnel, lengthy processes, and surge service needs to cause this overcrowding.
Private emergency rooms address this limitation by providing fast services, backed with wide wait-bays and enough personnel. Compared to the modern-day freestanding emergency rooms, they are better placed to handle many people. Another double-edged advantage that reduces this overcrowding is the fact that not many people use private emergency rooms. The introduction of hospital screens creates a division in the emergency room that allows the doctor to examine the patient properly and without any hesitation which will tackle the problem of overcrowding.
Long-Wait Time
Emergencies do not wait, and neither should a victim. Since hospital-based emergency rooms are crowded, it merely means many people are always in the waiting line. For this reason, hospital-based emergency rooms are the least places to take someone who needs immediate care.
And while they can try their best to prioritize severe conditions, they never give everyone the treatment they deserve. This is a limitation that private emergency rooms handle correctly. Every patient will be served as soon as they set foot in the facility. Moreover, private doctors are always on standby to address individual cases in private rooms.
Less face-to-face time with the doctor
Less time waiting and more time spent talking with the doctor is one of the most important benefits of going to a private emergency room. Unlike in hospital-based emergency rooms where doctors work to beat time and attend to many other clients, they never spare time even to examine patients well—many at times, which results in misdiagnosis and wrong prescriptions. Ideally, every patient should have more time with the doctor to ensure their condition is addressed thoroughly. With such an opportunity, patients can ask more questions about their shape while getting advice about their situation.
Lack of After-Care Services
Aftercare health services are complimentary services that medical doctors should offer to their clients. While not all clinics have this exclusive offer, it is a beneficial undertaking that is worth following up with the patient's health progress.
Doctors from hospital-based emergency rooms are generally busy, and they never pursue a follow-up to confirm the progress of their patients. And that is where private practitioners command the game since they do follow-ups to check on their patients’ progress. Besides, others offer home-based services to clients' requests and demands. Some private emergency room doctors always call back to check on their client’s progress.
Flexible Billing
One of the challenges many patients face is the issue of billing for treatment. Generally, hospital-based emergency rooms always limit how patients pay with their insurance covers. On the other hand, private emergency rooms work quite differently, and they understand the need for varied billing options. Even though people claim that they are a bit expensive, paying them is never a hard hassle since they accept cover from many health insurance benefits covers.
Possibility of Cross-Contamination
One thing that limits the success of hospital-based emergency rooms is the issue of crowding. It comes with other potential negatives that may include cross-contamination between patients. Added to the fact they are rarely cleaned, patients can get a further infection from the dirty environment. Private emergency rooms on the other side are very safe and secure treatment areas with fewer chances of getting infections.
Lack of Enough Practitioners
Recent times have seen a reduced number of medical practitioners, and the hospital-based emergency rooms take a fair share of this setback. On the other hand, private emergency rooms have contingency plans to regulate how they handle their patients with the number of doctors they have. That way, they are always able to solve people’s needs while developing personalized treatment plans.
The Bottom Line
While comparing the two emergency care alternatives, one thing that stands out. Private emergency rooms are way quite advantageous and offer more benefits to clients. On the other side, too, it cannot go without saying how hospital-based emergency rooms come with a fair share of advantages as well.
As such, if anyone is contemplating the best emergency room San Antonio offers, the hard choice lies between the two. But with the double-sided analysis of the two, settling on the best is a matter of personal choice and condition.
