Freestanding EDs and ERs
As hospitals and patients look for increased options in acute care, USACS offers both freestanding emergency departments (FSEDs) and freestanding emergency rooms (FSERs).
Learn more about these clinical locations below:
Hospital-based freestanding emergency departments
FSEDs are a new and evolving care delivery model. Popular throughout the U.S., these departments may be owned and operated by a hospital (as a “hospital outpatient department,” or HOPD) or independently owned and operated by a group of physicians or other investors.
Many hospitals build freestanding EDs because it allows them to extend high-quality emergency services at even higher levels of customer service. With an FSED, they can make an impact in new or expanding markets at a relatively low cost. Our FSED business model has proven to successfully:
- Alleviate capacity issues in a hospital’s existing emergency department
- Extend services into underserved areas to capture or increase market share
- Establish the foundation for future hospital development
- Enable hospitals to create and strengthen their physician partnerships
Independent freestanding emergency rooms
USACS is proud to have many independent freestanding ERs (FSERs) throughout the country. These facilities provide 24/7 emergency medical care in a clean, comfortable, healing environment–typically with little or no wait.
Not to be confused with urgent care centers, freestanding emergency centers offer the same high quality of care and resources found in a traditional hospital emergency department, including onsite x-ray, CT and ultrasound.
In many states, independent freestanding ERs are highly regulated and are sometimes held to a higher standard than hospitals. Each facility must fulfill an exhaustive list of legal and regulatory requirements pertaining to their construction, operation, equipment, staffing and more.
Benefits of FSERs
- Fewer than 5 percent of patients typically require transfer or admission
- Required to operate 24/7
- Have an emergency physician on-site at all times
- Provide around-the-clock lab and imaging services
- Stock additional types of medications
Contact USACS to learn more about our freestanding emergency locations and discuss potential partnership opportunities.