Increase in walk-in centers has some concerned about safety
Patient Safety Monitor Alert
June 29, 2005
Walk-in healthcare centers are springing up all over the country, offering patients convenience and fast treatments. Some experts, however, are concerned that the growing ambulatory segment may be offering procedures best suited for the hospital environment, according to an article in the San Francisco-based Contra Costa Times.The centers are closely regulated and almost all of them offer good service, but there have been examples where regulators found centers performing nonpermitted surgeries. In Pennsylvania, regulators found two facilities performing operations beyond the stipulated time limit for ambulatory procedures. The procedures were also more complicated than what is allowed in the state's regulations.
In another case, a New Jersey facility was shut down in the wake of a patient death. Regulators found numerous safety and cleanliness violations in that facility.
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