Feud Between Emergency Physicians and Urgent Care Physicians Boils Over

A press release issued by the American College of Emergency Physicians has sparked controversy
among emergency physicians and urgent care physicians that has boiled over into a feud between
industries.

Belvidere, IL, April 29, 2011 --(PR.com)-- A feud is brewing between healthcare industries as insurance
companies amp up their efforts to educate their members on what kind of options they have for medical
care - efforts that are aimed at discouraging unnecessary ER visits in order to unclog emergency
departments and lower the cost of emergency care. Insurers plan to accomplish this through educating
their members on when to visit the ER and when to visit urgent care centers, which offer medical
treatment for illnesses and injuries that are not life-threatening at a significantly lower cost than the ER
(visit http://www.bcbsga.com/eralt for an example of Blue Cross Blue Shield of Georgia's educational
efforts). This has caused a major divide between emergency physicians and urgent care physicians.

The feud reached new heights this month after the American College of Emergency Physicians (ACEP)
issued a press release denying unnecessary ER visits are the cause of the nation's high healthcare costs.
The press release was referenced in a TIME Magazine editorial written by emergency physicians Dr.
Jesse M. Pines and Dr. Zachary F. Meisel as a “campaign to derail proposed policies to reduce the use of
emergency departments (EDs).” While ACEP denies the existence of such a campaign, ACEP's press
release and the corresponding TIME editorial have been met with strong opposition from members of the
urgent care industry, including Dr. David Stern, an urgent care physician with more than 20 years of
experience in urgent care, founding Board member of the Urgent Care Association of America
(UCAOA), and CEO of Practice Velocity® Urgent Care Solutions®. Noticing in the press release and the
TIME editorial the omission of urgent care as an option for after-hours medical care, Dr. Stern responded
with his own editorial to supply the public with the missing facts. Dr. Stern's editorial was met with
negative comments further denying the value of urgent care.

“I am amazed at the reaction from these emergency physicians,” says Dr. Stern. “Getting even a fifth of
these patients out of the emergency department and into urgent care centers would result in at least a
$20-billion reduction in the nation's healthcare costs. Why wouldn't the two industries want to work
together to produce this kind of cost-savings for the general public?”

In order to further drive home the value of urgent care in this discussion, Dr. Stern wrote a second
editorial that was published in Urgent Care News providing additional facts refuting the misleading
comments that were posted in response to his original editorial.

“I highly encourage the public to read these editorials to get the real facts about the important role the
urgent care industry plays in their healthcare,” says Dr. Stern. “There's far too much misinformation
being spread, which is a complete disservice to the American public. The ER is not the public's only
option for after-hours medical care - urgent care centers are available across the country, are open
extended hours, and are far more affordable than an ER visit.”

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Contact Information:
Practice Velocity
Mika Doyle
815-986-1633
mdoyle@practicevelocity.com
www.practicevelocity.com

Online Version of Press Release:

You can read the online version of this press release at: http://www.pr.com/press-release/317475

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