Antioch Hospital Administrators Anticipate January Opening for Urgent Care Center
Administrators of Sutter Delta Medical Center in Antioch expect to begin accepting patients in January at a new urgent care center, pending license approval by the Department of Health Services, the Contra Costa Times reports. Sutter Delta applied for the license early last month.
The center is intended to reduce the number of uninsured patients who seek treatment at Sutter Delta's emergency department for nonlife-threatening health problems, hospital Assistant Director Daryn Kumar said.
Sutter Delta's ED treated 49,523 patients in 2003 and to date has treated 44,828 in 2004. According to Kumar, about 20% of patients at Sutter Delta's ED could have been treated at an urgent care facility.
The urgent care center will operate on a cash-only basis. Patients who, based on federal poverty levels, do not qualify for no-cost care, will be charged in $25 increments up to $100 based on their annual incomes (Coetsee, Contra Costa Times, 12/3).