UAMS plans combined ER-urgent care network

The University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences is partnering with Dallas-based Intuitive Health to develop a network of 24/7 facilities combining emergency department and urgent care services. The first site is planned for Chenal Parkway in west Little Rock, where construction is expected to take 12 to 18 months; additional locations are being considered. Patients will enter through one point and be directed to the appropriate level of care, with on-site laboratory services and imaging such as CT, X-ray and ultrasound. UAMS says the model is intended to make care easier to access and help address emergency department overcrowding by sparing patients the need to decide for themselves whether to seek urgent or emergency care.