Following the national trend toward walk-in clinics and urgent care, OrthoIndy is launching urgent care services to bring more patients into the practice, according to an Indianapolis Business Journal report.
Here are five things to know:
1. OrthoIndy is spending $3.8 million over the next three years to develop urgent care clinics. The seven clinics will focus on patients with orthopedic-related injuries.
2. The urgent care clinics will serve as a less expensive alternative to the emergency room for patients with orthopedic injuries or conditions. The facilities will give patients access to orthopedic specialists, relying on physician assistants and non-surgical physicians.
3. The urgent care model will increase patient flow as the practice is overcoming challenges from healthcare reform. The practice is affiliated with the Indiana Orthopaedic Hospital, which sold 20 percent stake to St. Vincent Health in 2009. Since then, OrthoIndy's relationship with competing hospitals have simmered, according to the report. Referral patterns are also changing so more primary care physicians are keeping referrals within their hospital networks.
4. Patients have more control now in their healthcare decision-making, and 49 percent of people in Indiana have high deductible, employer-sponsored insurance plans. These patients are looking for the best care at the best value.
5. There are currently 12 physician assistants, who went through a training program on decision-making for orthopedic patients to diagnose and triage care quickly.