What comes to mind when you hear about a
new place in town that posts its "menus" inside its bright, inviting lobby,
provides pocket buzzers to let you know when you're next to be served and
hands out free coloring books and crayons to keep the kids happy? A restaurant?
Guess again. It's the new look, urgent care center from Solantic, a Jacksonville-based
firm whose mission statement pledges to offer "convenient health care at
a fair price with as little hassle as possible." Solantic opened its second
walk-in center in South Florida this week at 4450 State Road Seven in Coconut
Creek, marking its ninth facility in Florida. Solantic opened its first
South Florida location in January in Pembroke Pines at 9035 Pines Boulevard.
Among the unusual features of this center that spans 3,600 interior square
feet are clearly posted price lists for all services, from treating cuts
to a full check-up with x-rays, seven exam rooms, an electronic cue that
shows the order of patients, and beepers that signal when you are next
to be seen, even if you are shopping up to two miles away. Cheerful waiting
rooms come complete with coloring books and crayons for the kids, thanks
to a partnership with Radio Disney. Solantic even has a kid-friendly Web
site featuring health tips for kids, interactive germ-fighting games and
its two mascots, Ricky Reckless (a jet-propelled skate boarder) and his
protective, canine companion, Sadie Solantic. These Solantic celebrities
have even been known to drop in at Solantic centers from time to time.
"Our goal is to provide more affordable, more convenient health care and to reduce as much of the hassle associated with health care as possible," said Glen Knobel, the company's market leader for South Florida. "We survey each patient and conduct random mystery shopping to ensure we are doing everything we can to meet our patients" needs." In addition to providing walk-in treatment seven days a week, Solantic, which accepts most insurance plans, is equipped to serve the entire family (ages six months and up) and can handle a variety of conditions ranging from sinusitis and pneumonia to fractures and lacerations.
"Our center is staffed and set up to treat at least
fifty percent of the illnesses and injuries that often lead people to an
emergency room," said Karen Bowling, Solantic's president. "We can
typically treat patients quicker at about one third of the cost of an emergency
visit. We also work closely with family physicians, treating patients they
can't work into their schedule and returning those patients back to those
physicians. We believe that the response from patients, employers and managed
care companies will influence our growth in South Florida."
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