For information: Dean Carr 918.665.1520

For Immediate Release: October 22, 2003

MedCenter Opens Second Urgent Care Facility

At a time when many urgent care or minor emergency care centers are closing, MedCenter South recently opened its new location at 81st Street and Highway 169.

The new facility offers complete care for minor emergencies and extends the capacity of MedCenter, an urgent care facility that has served Tulsa and the surrounding communities for the past 25 years.

"Most urgent care centers are closing or being bought by out-of-state owners says," says Dr. Douglas Moore, MedCenter medical director and founding partner. "Our centers are the only full-service urgent care centers left in Tulsa that are locally owned, doctor-driven and have an investment in the community."

Moore says the demand for urgent care is increasing for several reasons, all relating to convenience, access, cost and time savings:

• Appointments are not necessary - care is available upon arrival.
• Waiting time is minimal. Most people are seen, treated and finished within one hour.
• Doors are open nights and weekends.
• Front-door parking means no long walks to offices.
• Average cost for a visit is only slightly more than at a physician's office and approximately one-third less than being seen at a hospital emergency room.
• All services are on-site including laboratory tests and x-rays.

"We get you in and looked at, get you fixed for today, and we're here if you need a follow-up visit. The whole reason this works so well is that people are more and more convenience-minded. In many families, both parent work so there's little spare time or time to wait."

The new MedCenter South and MedCenter, located at 2929 South Garnett, are owned and operated by a group of physicians certified in emergency medicine. Both facilities offer full coverage of minor emergency care for children and adults, ranging from routine family health needs, such as care for patients with the flu and chickenpox, to emergency treatment of injuries and illness, such as fractures and sprained ankles.

Additionally, both facilities provide comprehensive occupational medicine programs for area businesses, including physical exams, drug and alcohol testing, on-site safety consultations, and more. Physicians from MedCenter also provide emergency services for Saint Francis Hospital.

"We see patients with a range of problems -- the whole family -- from head colds, sore throats, sprains, back injuries, to spider bites," says Dr. Moore.

The new location will focus on the same priority of excellent care when you need it, but will offer two new dimensions of care.

First, physician assistants provide the primary level of care. "PAs are trained and qualified to assess and diagnose, provide treatment, and write prescriptions, working under the supervision of a physician," Moore explains. All PAs are board-certified. Approximately 20 work within MedCenter's system.

Second, using telemedicine, PAs and other professional staff at the south location are linked to physicians at the main MedCenter facility through laptop computers, cameras and audio for live, "real time" video and two-way communication between staff at both centers. "We'll be able to move the camera around, talk live to the patient, get close-up looks if necessary, and let the people at both locations talk to each other about that patient's care," Moore says. "It's simple to use."

Located north of Tulsa Community College's southeast campus, MedCenter South is an example of combining technology and physician extenders in an urban setting for cost-savings for consumers, Moore says. PAs and telemetry have long been used in rural areas to help offset the physician shortage.