MORIAL HOSPITAL, an acute care hospital with COLUMBIA MEMORIAL Hos 300 beds and 160 COLUMBIA 6 staff physicians, is one of 75 hospitals owned and e op company. Although two other ac ulation, Columbia h well-appointed faciliti Health Services of America, a for-profit, publicly owned two other acute care hospitals serve the same pop- Columbia historically has been highly profitable because of its facilities, fine medical staff, reputation for quality care, operate ppointed f and the nd the amount of unt of individual attention it gives to patients. In addition tandard range of inpatient and outpatient services, Columbia to o the standard ra operates an emergency department within the hospital complex and a stand-alone walk-in clinic located across the street from the area's major shopping mall, about two miles from the hospital. Patients who need immediate care for injuries or illness, be it a nail-gun puncture or a sore throat, are increasingly turning to walk-in clinics (urgent care centers). These clinics aim to fill the gap between the growing shortage of primary care physicians and already crowded and expensive) emergency departments. Walk-in clinics are staffed by physicians, offer wait times as little as a few minutes, and charge $6o to S2oo, dep are necessary and ev Finall, 5200, depending on the procedure. Furthermore, no appointments ecessary and evening and weekend hours are frequently available. erage, ment visits. Currently, 8,000 o including about 1 many offer discounts to the uninsured, and for those with cov- copayments are typically much less than for emergency depart- urrently, 8,00o of these clinics exist around the country about 1,200 affiliated with hospitals. 49 MORIAL HOSPITAL, an acute care hospital with COLUMBIA MEMORIAL Hos 300 beds and 160 COLUMBIA 6 staff physicians, is one of 75 hospitals owned and e op company. Although two other ac ulation, Columbia h well-appointed faciliti Health Services of America, a for-profit, publicly owned two other acute care hospitals serve the same pop- Columbia historically has been highly profitable because of its facilities, fine medical staff, reputation for quality care, operate ppointed f and the nd the amount of unt of individual attention it gives to patients. In addition tandard range of inpatient and outpatient services, Columbia to o the standard ra operates an emergency department within the hospital complex and a stand-alone walk-in clinic located across the street from the area's major shopping mall, about two miles from the hospital. Patients who need immediate care for injuries or illness, be it a nail-gun puncture or a sore throat, are increasingly turning to walk-in clinics (urgent care centers). These clinics aim to fill the gap between the growing shortage of primary care physicians and already crowded and expensive) emergency departments. Walk-in clinics are staffed by physicians, offer wait times as little as a few minutes, and charge $6o to S2oo, dep are necessary and ev Finall, 5200, depending on the procedure. Furthermore, no appointments ecessary and evening and weekend hours are frequently available. erage, ment visits. Currently, 8,000 o including about 1 many offer discounts to the uninsured, and for those with cov- copayments are typically much less than for emergency depart- urrently, 8,00o of these clinics exist around the country about 1,200 affiliated with hospitals. 49
