Specialized urgent care may mean fewer trips to the emergency department for Amanda McLain.

The eleven-year-old was born with a genetic condition called Osteogenesis Imperfecta, known more commonly at Brittle Bone disorder. Amanda has already suffered more than 40 broken bones.

So when her mom found out about an urgent care center that specializes in orthopaedics, she knew that it would just be a matter of time before they would need to use it.

"A lot of times, Amanda will fracture her legs," said Marcy McLain. "When they fracture their legs, it's very painful. So the fact that you can bring her to a place, and get in and out quickly, takes some of the stress off of the situation."

Triangle Orthopaedics operates three urgent care centers in the Triangle, in Raleigh, Durham and Chapel Hill. Medical director Bill Mallon, M.D., says opening the centers came in response to the large number of after-hours referrals coming from primary care doctors.

"They'd have an orthopaedic problem they'd need to refer to us and the problems had to be sent to the emergency room or try to be put in ice and seen by us the next morning," he said.

Mallon says the centers see a variety of patients, from high school football players to weekend handymen. Instead of facing a long wait in the emergency department, patients can be seen more quickly and can even get stitches and x-rays.

The centers are staffed by physician assistants and support staff who serve as first responders for patient treatment. But thanks to digital x-rays, physicians are just a click away for consultation via their home computer.

"If he has a fracture or something like that, he can just call the doctor on call and say, hey, can you look at this x-ray," said Mallon. "And you can do it at home."

The attraction to urgent care for the patient may be convenience, but it also costs less.
According to Blue Cross and Blue Shield of North Carolina, the average retail cost of a visit to an urgent care center is about $125, while an average emergency department visit costs over $1,000.

You can find out more about orthopaedic urgent care at our upcoming Health and Fitness Festival this weekend at the Jim Graham Building at the state fairgrounds. Click here to get information on all the screenings and information available for FREE.

Related Links

1. NBC 17 Health and Fitness Festival