National chain joins line of urgent care clinic options in Las Vegas Valley

By Conor Shine

Wednesday, Aug. 1, 2012 | 2 a.m.

After a near-drowning accident four years ago left their infant son severely disabled, Guy and Nonna Russell found themselves spending long hours in emergency rooms whenever their son was in need of immediate care.

“The trauma care he received was incredible; it was the aftercare that bothered us. When we couldn’t get in to see his physician, we relied on an urgent care model,” Guy Russell said. “What we got frustrated with ... at urgent care, the wait time was two-plus hours. The emergency room was very impersonal and it’s very expensive.”

Russell and his wife saw an opportunity to improve health care delivery in the valley about a year ago when they learned about Doctors Express, a national chain of urgent care centers founded in 2005 in Baltimore.

The Russells, longtime Las Vegas residents, partnered with Doctors Express, and on Monday, they opened their 2,000-square-foot clinic in a Henderson shopping center near Horizon Ridge Parkway and Green Valley Parkway.

“It’s a service that’s so badly needed. ... We want the community to know when they come in, they’re not going to be here very long,” Guy Russell said.

The expansion of Doctors Express into the Las Vegas market is part of an ongoing nationwide boom in quick-care-style clinics that offer a more convenient, cost-effective alternative for people seeking basic medical care on a walk-in basis.

There are currently more than 8,700 urgent care centers in the United States, nearly half of which opened in the past five years, and about 300 new clinics continue to open every year, according to the Urgent Care Association of America. There are more than 50 Doctors Express franchises nationwide, and in the coming years, the Russells plan to open a total of five clinics in the valley.

A typical urgent care clinic is staffed by at least one physician, supported by a team of nurses and medical assistants. Staff can treat anything from a sprained ankle to the flu as well as perform X-rays, blood tests and write prescriptions, Russell said. The clinics are usually open on the weekend, have extended hours and don’t require an appointment to be seen by a doctor.

At Doctors Express and many other urgent care clinics, the goal is to get patients seen by a doctor, treated and out the door within an hour of their arrival, Russell said.

With millions of Americans expected to receive insurance through the Affordable Care Act, patients will need more ways to access medical care, which should continue to fuel the growth of urgent care clinics, said Doug Geinzer, CEO of the Southern Nevada Medical Industry Coalition.

“You’re going to be pushing more people into the system,” he said. “If these urgent care clinics improve access and get us to the point of diagnosis quicker, that’s a good thing for the health of the entire community.”

In Las Vegas, more than a dozen independent urgent care clinics offer services to patients. Hospitals and pharmacies like Walgreens also are adding walk-in clinics to treat patients and hopefully cut down on the need for expensive visits to the emergency room.

University Medical Center has operated a network of 10 urgent care clinics since the 1980s, said John Eddy, the hospital’s associate administrator of ambulatory services.

“We have an extremely busy emergency room. ... (Urgent care) can handle situations that are not life-threatening, so you have your emergency room open for those cases that require a higher level of medical care,” he said.

Eddy said the growth of urgent care clinics — whether they’re independent or affiliated with a hospital — can help improve health care throughout the valley.

“The idea is to provide better medical care. Overall, I think people will go where they can get the best care,” he said.

Dr. Ralph Carullo, medical director at Las Vegas Immediate Care, said his clinic sees many people who need same-day medical attention but can’t schedule an appointment with their primary care physician soon enough.

And while the clinic accepts most insurance providers, it also offers affordable cash payment options for those without coverage.

“When you compare costs, the co-pay for urgent care visits are less than the emergency room,” he said. “As long as we give quality care that’s convenient and can be more cost effective, there will always be room for urgent care clinics.”