A growing number of hospitals and oncology practices are incorporating urgent care aimed specifically at cancer patients, according to an article on the Fierce Healthcare website.
At these facilities, specialists are available for same-day appointments, often with extended hours, sometimes 24/7.
Many cancer patients have compromised immune systems that put them at risk in a waiting room full of sick people.
Johns Hopkins Hospital opened a urgent care center next to its infusion center a couple of years ago. Eighty percent of the patients who go there are discharged home, at an average total hospital charge of $1,600. Only 20 percent of cancer patients who visit the hospital’s regular emergency department are discharged home. Those who are have an average total hospital charge of $2,300. The others face the ER charges plus the hefty cost of a hospital admission, the article said.
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