31 Aug HEALTHCARE ON YOUR SCHEDULE BY WENDELL BARNHOUSE PHOTO BY FLYHIPPIE PHOTOGRAPHY
Your husband has chest pain. Is it indigestion or an oncoming heart attack? Your toddler wakes up at three a.m. with a fever of 102 and nothing is open. Maybe your alarm goes off at six a.m. and you have a crazy work day ahead. But you feel awful and have no time to be sick, much less time to schedule a visit to your doctor. iCare is always ready for you when you’re not.
Medical problems can range from the life-and-death emergency to the simple irritation of not feeling well. All interrupt your life. iCare Emergency Center and Urgent Care could be your new one stop solution.
About iCare
iCare’s brand new 10,000 square-foot state-of-the-art facility opened just a few months ago just off the Dallas Tollway on the corner of Eldorado and Teel in Frisco. They provide state-of-the art emergency care to the community 24 hours a day, seven days a week. They have an affordable on-site urgent care open from 9 a.m. to 8 p.m. every day. iCare specializes in cost-efficient, effective treatment with minimum wait times and maximum interaction with a physician.
iCare Emergency Center is owned and operated by 13 local and board certified emergency physicians. All of the iCare physicians completed a residency specific to adult and pediatric emergency medicine. Each has experience providing emergency care to adults and children in major hospitals.
“It’s a hybrid model – one-stop medical care,” said Dr. Shane Cole, who along with doctors Carlos Morales, MD and Yama Amin, MD manage the facility. “We know that our patients have choices and many have been burned by high freestanding ER prices. iCare offers an affordable urgent care facility inside the same building. That means if you’ve got a sore throat, you don’t get hit with an ER-type bill. But if you’re having something as serious such as a stroke, heart attack, or septic shock you receive the same critical care from the same emergency physicians that you would find in a nearby major hospital. No one else offers this level of sophistication or value,” he says with obvious pride.
iCare is committed to connecting with its community. There are 11 schools located within a few miles of its location. iCare sponsored several of the local PTAs and participated in numerous school and community activities. The urgent care can even provide flu shots and school physicals.
The iCare Difference
Dr. Cole said, “We combined the experience we gained working as ER physicians with observations of problems with the new freestanding ER models. We wanted to open a real-deal, top-notch, combination ER and urgent care that served our neighbors in their neighborhood without the hassle of the major hospital or the fear of getting beaten up by an inappropriate ER bill for a sore throat. We have an urgent care solely to save the consumer money. We have an ER to save lives.”
The Frisco facility is equipped to treat children’s emergencies with the utmost care and concern. Because a visit to the emergency room can be a scary experience, iCare’s facility was designed to provide a soothing, child-friendly atmosphere and children’s-themed exam rooms and a play area.
State regulations are strict regarding freestanding ERs. This facility was built to exceed those specifications and designed from scratch for beauty, convenience, and function. The urgent care and the ER are both in-network with the major insurance carriers.
The facility is in essence a mini-hospital. It has hospital doctors and it even has a room for an overnight stay if that’s necessary. There’s a trauma room, diagnostic ultrasound, low-dose CT scanner, digital x-ray, advanced laboratory, and a complete pharmacy. “Can you believe all of this could be so close to your home?” Cole remarks.
“The state requires each freestanding ER have a transfer agreement with at least one hospital for the unfortunate event that a surgery or a prolonged hospital stay would be necessary,” Cole said. “We have six!”
Recently Cole treated a woman who was having a heart attack. Within 18 minutes, she received all the advanced ER drugs required for initial stabilization, her cardiologist was consulted, and she was on an ambulance headed for a life-saving cardiac catheterization. She is doing well today and enjoying her new life.
“We have a serious ER and we want people to take us seriously,” Cole said. “We have absolutely equivalent care to any hospital you can find. What the hospitals don’t have is iCare’s commitment to service and affordable urgent care. iCare is exceptional health care that’s quick, personal, and affordable.”