NightLight Pediatric Urgent Care To Open in Pearland

NightLight Pediatric Urgent Care Ready to Expand to Pearland

Nightlight Pediatric Urgent Care, Houston’s leading after-hours pediatric urgent care provider, opens a new clinic in Pearland in June 2014.

This is NightLight’s third clinic since introducing the market to after-hours care for children in 2007. The new 4,000 square-foot clinic will be located in the Shadow Creek Ranch Town Center at 2803 Business Center Drive, Suite 118, Pearland, TX 77584.

“The Pearland community is one of the fastest-growing markets in Houston where families with young children need the services provided by NightLight,” says CEO and Medical Director Anastasia Gentles, MD. “The Affordable Care Act will increase the demand for lower-cost pediatric urgent care as more people seek out medical care. We are uniquely qualified and positioned as the first option for families with children ages 0-18 needing services during the evenings, on weekends, and all holidays.” Gentles says NightLight serves as an extension of the family pediatrician seeing their patients when the office is closed, and is an alternative to going to the emergency room, wtwhoic ohr ctharne bee times the cost, or waiting it out till the morning comes which is not always possible.

NightLight enjoys significant relationships with Houston-area pediatricians. This close relationship and history in the Houston market and its expansive list of in-network providers gives families a trusted resource for their medical care. “We’ve been here, families know us, and pediatricians trust us. Families know when the come to NightLight they will have a soothing and comforting experience which helps calm their children’s fears when they are not feeling well,” says Gentles. “We recognize the importance of the primary pediatrician and patient relationship.”

X-rays will be offered at all three locations in 2014. Expanded office procedures include cryo-treatment of warts; wedge removal of ingrown toenails along with foreign body removals, and draining of abscesses. These services compliment the range of medical illness treatments offered including flu-symptoms, colds, fevers, insect bites, rashes. Trauma care includes stitches, sprains, splints for broken bones, burns, eye injuries, and animal bites. The clinic will be opened for extended hours during the school year to accommodate increased demand during flu season.

Voted one of the Best Places to Work by the Houston Business Journal, NightLight Pediatric Urgent Care was established in 2007 and is the only minority-woman owned business of its kind in the market. NightLight’s mission is to provide quality, affordable, compassionate service for infants, children and adolescents. NightLight exists to be the first choice provider for pediatric urgent care when the primary pediatrician is not available. More information is available at Nightlightpediatrics.com.

The Affordable Care Act and NightLight

The Affordable Care Act (ACA) has six major objectives, three of which are to improve quality of healthcare, increase coordination of healthcare and reduce the cost of providing that healthcare. NightLight Pediatric Urgent Care helps meet those three objectives. As more people become insured and seek to actively manage their healthcare, it will become even harder to get an appointment with your primary care provider. With the shortage of primary care providers, NightLight provides a quality, affordable and convenient option for parents to bring their sick and injured children. With our evening, weekend and holiday hours, we are a more cost effective option to the Emergency Room. A visit to NightLight for the same diagnosis is at least five times less expensive than a visit to the Emergency Room (see attached flyer from Aetna). We endeavor to be a major partner with PCPs and Accountable Care Organizations (ACOs) to meet the objectives of the ACA.

Subject Matter Experts – Pediatric Urgent Care; Small Business Startup; Children Medical and Health

Anastasia L. Gentles, M.D. FAAP, Co-Founder, NightLight

Pediatric Urgent Care, Affordable Care Act, Health Care and Children, Health care cost, provider/patient relationship, insurance coverage issues,
Dr. Anastasia L. Gentles is the CEO, medical director and co-founder of NightLight Pediatric Urgent Care since 2006. She is a graduate of the University of California, San Diego School of Medicine and completed her residency in Pediatrics at the Children’s Hospital of Oakland in Oakland, CA in June of 2000. She moved to Texas in 2001. Her work experience includes Adolescent medicine, Primary care and Emergency medicine. When not at NightLight, she enjoys reading, eating and running.

Zawadi Bryant, MBA, Co-Founder, NightLight

Business matter relating to Affordable Care Act, corporate expansion and operations, Pediatric Urgent care competition, business model development, provider/patient relationship, medical billing, health care cost, insurance coverage Zawadi Bryant is the COO and co-founder of NightLight Pediatric Urgent Care. She brings many years of business process and marketing experience to NightLight. Bryant received her B.S. and MEng in Operations Research & Industrial Engineering as well as an MBA in Operations Management from Cornell University. After graduation, she began her career at Hewlett-Packard as a Supply MChaaniang e r. While at HP, she was designated as one of the Top 30 Black Engineers under 30 by the Black Engineer Magazine. Bryant has traveled internationally managing global supply chain projects for Fortune 500 clients.

Connie Cazares, Co-Founder, NightLight

Business matter relating to Affordable Care Act, corporate expansion and operations, Pediatric Urgent care competition, business model development Connie Cazares is the Clinical Specialist and a co-founder of NightLight Pediatric Urgent Care. She is a Certified Medical Assistant with more than 15 years of experience. Cazares graduated from the Texas School of Business with a 3.7 G.P.A and quickly started working in the healthcare field which she realized was her calling. Connie has focused on the pediatric field since graduation. Prior to NightLight, she was a top-ranked Medical Assistant in a few Texas Children’s Pediatric Associates offices in the Greater Houston area.

Urgent Care vs. Emergency Room Facts

The Case for Urgent Care – Source: AETNA Newsletter 2012

See the savings

If you’re like many Americans, out-of-pocket costs like deductibles or co-pays are a part of your world. But the far lower cost you’ll pay for participating urgent care visits will feel like instant relief. Take a look at what you may save:

Eight reasons to try urgent care

• You’re covered. Nightlight accepts most insurance. All you need is your member ID card.
• No appointments needed. Just walk right in.
• Convenient hours. Some clinics are open 7 days a week, with extended evening, weekend and holiday hours, just like the ER.
• Lower prices. Lower co-pays and out-of-pocket costs, with prices averaging $110 to$150, ⁽¹⁾ compared to ER costs of $550 to $750. ⁽¹⁾
• Less waiting. The average ER visit tops 4 hours, ⁽²⁾ while urgent care visits are generally an hour or less.
• Many locations. With approximately 3,432 (and growing) centers nationwide, it’s easy to find one near you.
• Fully staffed by doctors. Clinics are overseen by doctors, with doctors providing the service.
• Connections with local ERs. If you need more extensive care, you’ll be referred to the closest ER.

Non-Emergency Service	Average ER Cost 1	Average Urgent Care Cost 1
Sprains	$550-$750	$110-$150
Influenza	$550-$750	$110-$150
Minor lacerations	$550-$750	$110-$150
Headaches — migraine and Tension	$550-$750	$110-$150

¹ Average Urgent Care & ER Pricing. Aetna Strategic Contract Manager, 4/12. Actual costs may vary.
² The Case for Urgent Care (complimentary white paper). Urgent Care Association of America. Available at www.ucaoa.org/resources_stats.php. Accessed April 30, 2012.

Industry Trends – Source: Urgent Care Association of America:

Source: http://www.ucaoa.org/trends.php

• Private equity investors have become drawn to urgent care’s potential of improved patient access in light of a primary care physician shortage and rising health care demand, with new investments focusing on developing centers in markets previously underserved by urgent care.
• Hospitals and health systems continue to embrace urgent care as a way of expanding their ambulatory brand catchments, capturing new patients for downstream referrals, and leveraging provider relationships.
• Insurance payers are demonstrating increased interest in urgent care as a point of network access and as a way of reducing Emergency Room utilization through co-pay differentials in benefit plan designs, educating members on when it’s appropriate to use urgent care, and by making equity investments in urgent care providers.
• As many urgent care providers expand their scope of services in response to consumer demands for convenience and accessibility, walk-in care for injury and illness is converging with longitudinal primary care, occupational medicine, preventive health and specialist services.
• Established urgent care providers are expanding their footprints through de novo center development and acquisitions that create payer leverage and build operating and marketing scale in local communities.