Emergency room alternative coming to Osceola County 

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GuideWell Emergency Doctors is expanding to open its first Osceola County location this fall, combining the technology and medical personnel of a hospital emergency room with the convenience and low-cost of an urgent care clinic. 

The growing medical practice, operated by Crucial Care, has three Central Florida locations in Winter Park, Ocoee and Orlando, in addition to three locations in the Tampa Bay region with three more opening in the area this year. The Kissimmee location at 2465 N. Orange Blossom Trail will operate seven days a week and will be staffed with bilingual health professionals.

 An alternative to overcrowded, high-cost emergency rooms  

GuideWell Emergency Doctors will have on-site diagnostic equipment to handle CT scans, X-rays, ultrasounds and lab work, reducing the need to send patients to other facilities for diagnostic services or waiting hours for results. Patients of all ages are treated for a wide range of medical conditions, from upper respiratory issues to chest pain or cardiac related concerns – its two most prevalent medical emergencies.

 The innovative and lower-cost model was put to the test during the COVID-19 pandemic – administering COVID tests in drive-thru settings, treating patients, and administering the vaccine. In its three Central Florida locations alone, GuideWell Emergency Doctors has surpassed 36,000 COVID-related patient visits.

Reducing surprise bills

GuideWell Emergency Doctors helps patients understand health care costs and avoid surprise medical bills. Patients are told how much their visit and treatment will cost before services begin, and patients receive only one bill for all diagnostic evaluations, procedures, lab work, examinations and other services provided at the clinic. Most traditional emergency room visits result in multiple invoices from different groups, often sent over extended periods of time.

 “Every year, an estimated $30 billion or more is spent on avoidable emergency room visits,” said Dr. Elana Schrader, guidewell’s senior vice president, Health Care Services and president of GuideWell Health. “On average, treatment at GuideWell Emergency Doctors costs patients one-third of the cost of an ER visit and results in 30% fewer hospital admissions than those treated at a hospital emergency room for major medical issues.”

GuideWell Emergency Doctors can, when extended care and treatment is needed, help patients get admitted directly to a hospital, bypassing the ER. They can also coordinate same-or next-day referrals to specialists, while working with the patient’s primary care doctor, and ensure patients stay within their insurance plan’s network to keep out-of-pocket costs down.

The expansion into Osceola County will bring the total number of GuideWell Emergency Doctors up to 10 in Central and West Florida. The innovative emergency care model accepts most insurance plans and Medicare, or patients can pay on their own.  

 “GuideWell Emergency Doctors is a unique model unlike anything else in traditional urgent care,” said Dr. Nicholas Dodaro, chief medical officer of Crucial Care. “Our team, led by board-certified emergency medicine doctors, is delivering a better emergency care experience with half the wait time of a traditional ER.”