by Glenn Tschimpke
Staff Writer
A trip to the emergency room isn’t most people’s idea of fun. But because most family doctors are on an appointment basis and house calls are a notion of myth and fantasy, the emergency room is often the only resort for the injured and ailing. Notoriously overcrowded and understaffed, ER’s must play priority with the seriously injured while others wait.
Up-and-coming Solantic offers a fresh look at health care in Jacksonville by supplying health care for non-life threatening ailments that can’t wait for the family doctor but aren’t quite serious enough for the emergency room. Cuts, coughs, burns, infections and the litany of childhood illnesses are Solantic’s niche. It’s middle ground between the leisurely schedule of the family physician and the overkill of the emergency room.
“It’s an option for a lot of people who have no other choice but to use the emergency room on nights or weekends or when they can’t get in to see their physician,” said Solantic president Karen Bowling. “A lot of things that are seen in the ER that are not necessarily life-threatening could be seen at Solantic . . . things that are an emergency to you because you can’t make it through the weekend or until the next day.”
To ensure quality care, each Solantic location employs two full-time physicians with a crew of medical assistants and test equipment operators. Lab services and X-ray machines are kept on-site as well as commonly prescribed medicines to maximize convenience and efficiency.
“We’re basically simplifying access to health care,” said Bowling. “What I mean by that is we try to do more of a retail approach where we’re in retail locations. In all the locations we’re in, we’re trying to have retail-type signage with good visibility, which is really different for medical.”
Solantic currently has two locations in Jacksonville, 2401 Monument Rd. and 12303 San Jose Blvd. Two more are on the way at 2140 Kingsley Ave. in Orange Park and 410 Atlantic Blvd. in Neptune Beach. Bowling’s mission is to standardize the company look to generate some brand recognition, from the color scheme to the signage to the hours of operation. To capture after-hours business, Solantic locations are open weekdays until 8 p.m., Saturday from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Sunday from noon to 4 p.m.
Perhaps the biggest draw, says Bowling, is the price.
“There are three prices,” she said. “We’re trying to keep it simple. It’s $55 if you come in to see the doctor and get a prescription. It’s $85 if you see the doctor, get a prescription and you have to have a procedure like lab work or an X-ray or something like that. The most you could pay is $125 and that is if you see the doctor and have more than one procedure done.”
The good news is that Bowling is in negotiations with the major HMOs to be a recognized care provider. Patients will be able to flash their insurance cards as a method of payment, minus the usual co-pay. With the relatively inexpensive price structure, it saves money for both the insurance company and customer. It also eases emergency room congestion.
“It’s actually something they’ve been real supportive of because you know how overcrowded the ERs are,” she said. “Just the cost of going to the ER for something that could be treated in another environment is very expensive.”
Dr. Eric Haas is medical director for Aetna. Haas sees companies like Solantic as a boon for patients and much-needed relief for hospitals.
“It’s going to provide patients after-hours care that can be provided in primary care offices that’s not happening now,” said Haas. “It’s a market need that we saw to ease the burden on emergency rooms.”
However, Solantic does not participate in Medicare, Medicaid or Tricare programs.
Bowling is a Jacksonville native. Formerly a sports reporter at Ch. 17, she moved on to various communications positions within the medical community. After stops in Nashville, Orlando and Los Angeles, she decided to return home to work on something “meaningful.”
“I spent about six months doing research about urgent care,” she said. “I went all around the Southeast studying various urgent care models and put together a business plan. I got some investors together and we incorporated last June.”
The Neptune Beach location is scheduled to open Monday and the Orange Park facility in early April.