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.