Freestanding Emergency Centers Patient Satisfaction Study

NEW STUDY FINDS PATIENT SATISFACTION IS HIGHER AT FREESTANDING EMERGENCY CENTERS

Austin, TX— A new study published in the prestigious American Journal of Emergency Medicine found patient satisfaction is higher at Freestanding Emergency Centers (FECs) than at Hospital-Based Emergency Departments (HBEDs).

 

The study collected data in the following four areas: a. physician courtesy; b. physician listening ability; c. whether patients were informed about their treatment; and d. physician concern for patients’ comfort. In all areas, FECs received higher patient satisfaction than HBEDs.

“When a patient visits a Freestanding Emergency Center, they are receiving some of the highest-quality emergency care available to them,” said Eric McLaughlin, MD, Board Member of the Texas Association of Freestanding Emergency Centers (TAFEC). “Respect, compassion, and education are important elements of treating someone in an emergency situation; at Freestanding Emergency Centers, patients can expect to receive all three.”

Patient satisfaction scores by surveys have become a routine quality benchmark for the medical industry, functioning as an important indicator of how both providers and facilities are administering care. Hospitals and medical practices across the nation have incorporated these surveys to improve overall patient care.

The study further confirms just one of the many reasons why more people than ever are turning to FECs for their emergency care needs. In addition to the high-quality care they will receive, patients can and should expect shorter wait times, an easy check-in process, and convenient locations.

In 2009, Texas became the first state to allow licenses for independent, freestanding emergency centers in the nation.

The study, which determined whether patient satisfaction scores for individual emergency medicine providers varied according to the clinical setting, focused on patients treated at 6 FECs and 11 HBEDs. All physicians evaluated were board–certified or board–eligible and residency trained in Emergency Medicine. The study obtained patient satisfaction surveys results from January 1, 2018 to December 31, 2018 and was sent 10 days after patients’ emergency visit.

ABOUT TAFEC

The Texas Association of Freestanding Emergency Centers (TAFEC) is a member-based association representing freestanding emergency centers in Texas. The Association works with state leaders to ensure the fair regulation and growth of this industry, as well as raising public awareness of the industry and promoting an overall understanding of the unique benefits of freestanding emergency centers. Today, TAFEC has around 40 members with over 120 facilities located across Texas.



VIEW STUDY

Scroll to Top
Exceptional ER Logo

COVID-19 TESTING UPDATE:

The Exceptional Emergency Room staff and physicians care about you and your loved ones. We are here 24/7 for all your emergency care needs.

  1. If you are experiencing fever, shortness of breath, chest pain, dizziness, weakness, numbness, sensory loss, or any other emergent medical problems, please call 911 or seek medical care immediately at your nearest Emergency Room.
  2. To provide the highest quality emergency medical care to our communities, we are directing all routine COVID testing to outpatient community resources.
  3. Testing through local resources, including your primary care doctor, urgent care, walk-in clinic, or local health department, is appropriate under the following circumstances:
    1. If you have been exposed to a person known to have COVID, and you do not have symptoms, we recommend that you self-quarantine at home and seek testing 4-5 days after exposure. It often takes this long for the infection to be detected by routine lab testing.
    2. If you have no symptoms or very mild symptoms, outpatient testing is also typically appropriate.
    3. Please follow this link for local COVID testing resources.
  4. If you have tested negative, you should still self-quarantine for 14 days from the day of suspected exposure as it can take anywhere from 2-14 days to come down with symptoms of this infection.
  5. Please kindly limit your phone time with our Emergency Rooms as the phone lines are needed to communicate with other health care entities and to provide patients their test results. Thank you for your understanding during this trying time.