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VISTA expands South Florida network of urgent care centers to 46
HOLLYWOOD, FL - February 21, 2005 - VISTA announced today the expansion of its
network of urgent care centers (UCCs) from six to 46 in Miami-Dade, Broward and
Palm Beach counties. UCCs provide treatment for an illness or minor injury that
is not life threatening but requires immediate medical attention.
While UCCs are not intended
to replace primary care or routine office visits with a primary care physician,
they do play an important role in the delivery of health care. "When a doctor's
office is closed or immediate care is needed, members have a lower cost
alternative to the emergency room for urgent care," said Duell Wise, executive
vice president of network management. Compared to an emergency room, at an UCC
the waiting time is normally shorter, the service is faster and out-of-pocket
expenses are lower. The typical VISTA health plan copayment for an UCC visit is
about the same as a specialist copayment and half of the cost of an emergency
room visit.
Often times the need for
urgent care services occurs in the evenings, middle of the night or on holidays
and weekends when a pediatrician or primary care physician is not available.
UCCs are staffed with physicians, nurses and other medical professionals that
can treat a variety of concerns including cuts, simple fractures, eye injury,
sprains, fever, cold, flu and insect bites. If any delay in receiving immediate
medical attention could cause permanent injury or becomes life threatening,
calling 911 or going to the nearest emergency room is the best course of
action.
VISTA's UCC network includes
19 centers in Broward County, 19 in Miami-Dade and 8 in Palm Beach County.
Hours of operation vary by center and most include weekends and extended
weekday hours. One center is open 24-hours a day, 7-days a week.
About VISTA
VISTA, through its affiliated companies, Vista Healthplan, Inc., Vista
Healthplan of South Florida, Inc. and Vista Insurance Plan, Inc., offers a
choice of health benefit plans including health maintenance organization (HMO),
preferred provider organization (PPO) and point-of-service (POS). Headquartered
in Hollywood, Florida, the VISTA companies provide health benefits coverage to
more than 300,000 members and 10,000 employers in Florida through employer
group and individual plans, Medicare, Medicaid and Florida's Healthy Kids
program. More than 5,000 independent physicians and the area's leading
hospitals participate in VISTA's provider network. VISTA's health plans were
awarded a three-year accreditation from the Accreditation Association for
Ambulatory Health Care (AAAHC) - the highest level of accreditation a health
plan can achieve. More information about VISTA is available at
www.vistahealthplan.com
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