Aches, Breaks and Sprains are Best Treated at an Orthopedic Urgent Care Center
When the pain from a muscle or joint injury becomes unmanageable, many think they need to go to the emergency room. But the ER is primarily designed to serve potentially life-threatening emergencies, such as a head injury, heart attack or stroke.
The ER also has notoriously long wait times. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention report average ER wait times to be roughly two hours. An urgent care center is another option, but you will likely be seen by a generalist, not an orthopedic specialist. In both cases, you will walk out with a referral to have a second appointment with a specialist.
Fortunately, there are orthopedic urgent care centers such as GO Ortho at the Premier Medical Campus in Westlake. is facility is started by orthopedic specialists and accepts walk-ins and same-day appointments. This enables patients to get in with a specialist to take care of their pain much sooner than typical orthopedic offices, which may not be able to get you in for weeks.
“Urgent care centers and ERs may not be equipped to provide the comprehensive care for orthopedic injuries that you would receive at an orthopedic office,” said Scott Zimmer, MD, an orthopedic surgeon with GO Ortho. “GO Ortho staff are trained to provide sophisticated treatments, advanced orthopedic imaging, and outfit patients in the latest in slings, braces, casting and other support devices.”
This walk-in clinic cares for a wide range of orthopedic conditions from acute pain resulting from a break or sprain, to chronically painful conditions like arthritis. Because you are seeing an orthopedic specialist, conditions can be quickly and more accurately diagnosed as well as properly treated.
“When patients go to GO Ortho first, they avoid the hassle of having to visit multiple doctors’ offices for the same condition,” said Alison Tobias, physician assistant with GO Ortho. “GO Ortho makes it easy for patients to get the right type of care, right away, and at a far lower cost than the ER.”
All Services You Need, One Location
GO Ortho also provides affordable imaging services the same day as your appointment. Diagnostic services such as an X-ray or MRI are offered through Premier Diagnostics onsite in Westlake. Their diagnostic services meet established and nationally recognized quality standards and are fully accredited.
GO Ortho Physical therapy is also located down the hall from the GO Ortho office. Services here are also available on a walk-in basis. Orthopedic specialists work closely with these licensed physical therapists. When an injury or illness has left you in pain or with limited mobility, physical therapy can help get you back on track and recover faster. Physical therapy is used to help people of all ages and medical conditions. If you are recommended for physical therapy, you first have an evaluation to determine range of motion, muscle strength, postural alignment and abnormalities in movement patterns, body mechanics, and quality of movement with daily activities.
Cost Savings You Deserve
Since a GO Ortho o ce visit is charged as a regular orthopedic office visit, there is a significant monetary savings to the patient. And, Premier Diagnostics offers the same high-quality X-ray and MRI services you expect from major medical systems, but at far less cost.
Emergency level visits typically come with a prohibitive cost, and many insurance carriers have begun to seriously scrutinize nonemergency visits to ER facilities. For example, Anthem no longer pays for some non emergency medical conditions treated in the emergency room in certain states.
GO Ortho is a NorthShore Healthcare practice located on the Premier Medical Campus at 25200 Center Ridge Road, Suite 1100, in Westlake. While we do advocate going to the ER when you are faced with a severe medical problem, most orthopedic pains and conditions are not life threatening and are best treated by an orthopedic specialist. The fastest way to see one is to get to GO Ortho.
For more information, visit www.godoctornow.com
or call 844.463.7669.
