Freestanding ERs are required to remain open 24 hours a day and seven days a week; have board-certified, licensed physicians on staff at all times; and have equipment such as an X-ray machine and a CT scanner as well as a full on-site laboratory.

Freestanding types

There are different categories of facilities among freestanding ERs. Freestanding facilities that are independently owned by physicians or investors cannot run under a hospital license. They must apply for a license through the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. Area locations of Five Star ER and First Choice Emergency Room are independently owned and operated and not associated with a hospital system. Round Rock Family Emergency Room is currently under construction on A.W. Grimes Boulevard and is expected to open in 2016. It is independently owned and operated as well.

Another category of freestanding ERs is hospital-owned emergency centers. St. David’s Emergency Center-Pflugerville operates under the regulations of the St. David’s hospital system and is the only such hospital-owned facility in Round Rock or Pflugerville. It is an extension of St. David’s North Austin Medical Center.

St. David’s NAMC CEO Allen Harrison said the benefits of using a freestanding ER are numerous.

“I think there are some pretty significant benefits, starting with the assurance that the patients know they are getting the same level of care at that facility, just like they’d receive if they were to come to a hospital,” Harrison said. “It can also help to reduce the wait times seen in the big, busy emergency rooms.”

Marysol Imler, vice president of operations at Five Star ER in Pflugerville, said patients need to educate themselves about the specifics of their insurance plan and know what is and is not covered to determine if they can afford the services provided at a freestanding ER.

“One thing freestanding ERs have really worked on is to be more transparent in their billing,” Imler said.

Imler said the physician’s primary focus is not the financial aspect of a patient’s care, but Five Star ER does provide financial counselors to work with patients to understand what the financial effect is for their treatments.

“Unfortunately, the No. 1 reason some people have bad credit is because of medical bills,” she said. “That’s one thing we do as an industry is try to educate the public on billing and how it works.”