Galichia Heart Hospital Cuts Co-Pays for Emergency Room Patients
Posted on: Wednesday, 30 May 2007, 09:00 CDT
WICHITA, Kan., May 30 /PRNewswire/ -- The Galichia Heart Hospital has announced they are lowering their emergency room co-pay to just $50 for patients, becoming the first acute-care hospital in Kansas to discount the fee according to Steve Harris, GHH CEO, according to a recent story in the Wichita Eagle. The national average of co-pays for ER patients is normally between $100 and $150. Hospital officials say they will absorb the cost cut.
"We are mindful of the rising costs of healthcare. As a private, physician-owned hospital we can make changes that help our patients without having to wait for legislative initiatives. Today everyone in Wichita can access great healthcare for a much more affordable price," Harris said.
Galichia Heart Hospital is licensed as a general acute-care hospital, a full-service hospital whose ER can stabilize and treat most emergencies. The GHH ER opened its doors in May of 2006. In January, Galichia instituted a "15-minute-or-less" wait guarantee for its new emergency department.
Galichia officials say the idea came from discussions on ways to address common emergency room problems people face in Wichita: long wait times and high out-of-pocket costs. Even the high cost of gasoline is a major factor when people have to travel to a hospital.
"The real tragedy," says founder and interventional cardiologist, Joseph P. Galichia, MD, FACC, "is that often patients don't come to the ER because they think that whatever's bothering them isn't worth the trouble or the expense of a check up by a physician, or they fear they will be humiliated for making a fuss over nothing. Therefore people experiencing chest pains think they can ride it and they end up with a heart attack."
"We're trying to provide care for people who otherwise might not seek it," Dr. Galichia said. "We've addressed the long wait time and now we're taking care of the cost."
The $3.8 million, 14-bed emergency department now is seeing roughly 1,000 patient visits a month, up to 60 patients per day. On some weekends, the hospital has had to add a second or third emergency physician to handle the volume within the 15-minute guarantee window.
Contact: Stephen J. Harris, Galichia Heart Hospital, CEO, 316-858-2601; Cell: 316 641-9531; Fax: 316-858-2793; Also contact: Steve Jaffe, Jaffe & Co., Inc., Strategic Media 310-275-7327.
Stephen J. Harris, Galichia Heart Hospital
CONTACT: Stephen J. Harris, CEO of Galichia Heart Hospital,+1-316-858-2601, Cell, +1-316-641-9531, Fax, +1-316-858-2793; or Steve Jaffe,Strategic Media of Jaffe & Co., Inc., +1-310-275-7327
Source: PRNewswire
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