Ricky John Bergeron
June 2, 2008June movie releases
June 4, 2008
In almost everyone’s life, the day comes when your physician is booked and you need quick medical care for a non-life threatening illness or injury.
That’s the void Thibodaux Urgent Care fills. The facility made its debut on North Canal Boulevard in mid-February as part of the Millennium Healthcare franchise, which operates eight Urgent Care facilities in South Louisiana.
At Thibodaux Urgent Care, non-critical patients can receive care from a board-certified physician and a certified emergency room staff – day or night – seven days a week without an appointment.
Dr. John King, Thibodaux Urgent Care physician owner and board-certified physician on staff, said almost 70 percent of all emergency room and family physician patients could be seen at Thibodaux Urgent Care.
“Illnesses can strike at anytime, and residents need a place where they can access medical care without a long wait. The emergency room is for critical patients who need the doctor’s attention immediately,” he said.
The Urgent Care center, on the other hand, can quickly treat patients whose condition has not yet reached that level of immediacy.
The Thibodaux Urgent Care staff sees approximately 15 patients Monday through Thursday, and about 25 patients on Friday through Sunday, King said.
Millennium Healthcare Chief Executive Officer Keith LeBlanc and Medical Director Gerald Cvitanovich decided to tap into the region’s medical market because they saw a need for urgent care in south Louisiana.
The effects of the 2005 storms forced many healthcare physicians to relocate to other areas, and the wait time at emergency rooms began to double and sometimes triple at some medical facilities.
A misconception some have about urgent care facilities is that they are trying to compete with local emergency rooms. However, Chad Matthews, Thibodaux Urgent Care’s director, said that is not the case.
“We [at Thibodaux Urgent Care] are not in the business of competing with the emergency room or primary care physicians,” Matthews said. “We have a good working relationship with Thibodaux Regional (Medical Center) when it comes to patient care. We are here to provide the gap of healthcare that patients normally receive from either their family physician or an emergency room.”
Although urgent care facilities cannot handle life-threatening emergencies, it is equipped to treat emergencies similar to those seen in a doctor’s office. This includes minor cuts and burns; skin infections; sprains, strains and fractures; sports and work injuries; cold, flu and fever; minor pediatric illnesses; foreign body removal; complete family care; on-site digital X-ray and labs; bladder infections and physical and immunizations for work or school.
King said the advantage of an urgent care facility is quick access, cost-efficiency, good care and one-on-one physician care. The disadvantage is the facilities do not offer around-the-clock services like an emergency room.
However, King said the Thibodaux facility may soon begin providing continuous service.
Dr. John King of Thibodaux Urgent Care said the facility help patients when doctor’s offices are too booked and an emergency room is not warranted. “Illnesses can strike at anytime, and residents need a place where they can access medical care without a long wait,” he said. * Photo by SOPHIA RUFFIN
