HPUMC GETS GREEN LIGHT FROM UP COUNCIL FOR FAMILY ACTIVITY CENTER 42
AUGUST 2016 I Vol. 36, No. 8 I parkcitiespeople.com I @pcpeople I 214-739-2244
Breaking the Bank Over a Broken Limb LOCAL EMERGENCY ROOMS: CONVENIENCE AT A COST
DINING The pie is the limit at Norma’s new location on Park Lane 18
By Joshua Baethge
CONTINUED ON 19
On a high note: Park Cities School of Music celebrates five years 8
75 Forest Ln
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Royal Ln
Walnut Hill
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➊ CityDoc - Preston/Royal ➋ Hillcrest Medical ➌ Medical City Children’s
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Lady Scots bump, set, and spike into new season 16
URGENT CARE
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➊ Advanced ER - Galleria Area ➋ Preston Hollow ER ➌ Medical City ER ➍ Advance ER - Park Cities ➎ Highland Park ER
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Mockingbird Ln Preston Rd
room. “We basically paid $1,200 for them to tell us to take a Benadryl,” Warchol said. “It was something we ended up buying over the counter.” Warchol was under the impression he was visiting an urgent care facility, where costs are typically much lower. “A situation like that where there was no testing involved probably would have cost
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Emergency Room opened in 2014 as a companion to Highland Park Emergency Room. It is among at least 10 ER and urgent care facilities within a five-mile radius that have opened in the last five years.
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While critics have complained that freestanding emergency rooms are overpriced and even deceptive, staff boast they provide high-quality and convenient services. But at what cost? The Texas Association of Freestanding Emergency Rooms states that ERs have to charge more than non-emergency clinics in order to cover costs associated with state-of-the-art medical equipment, as well as the costs of having ER-trained physicians available 24/7. State law requires ERs to clearly note they are an emergency facility. However, the Better Business Bureau reports numerous complaints from families who claim they were unaware of the distinction until receiving the bill. Allen Warchol, a Dallas native who now lives in Los Angeles, was in town for the holidays last year when his daughter developed a rash around 11 p.m. Erring on the side of caution, he and his wife went to a nearby facility so a doctor could take a look. They had no idea the small building they were in was actually considered a full-service emergency
I M A N I LY T L E
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Hospital Urgent Care
➍ CityDoc - Inwood Village ➎ QuestCare Urgent Care
BACK TO SCHOOL Carrying textbooks never looked so good 13
FOCUS ON PHILANTHROPY
R E A L E S T A T E Q U A R T E R LY
S.M. Wright Foundation provides beds for disadvantaged kids 31
The best Realtors in Dallas tell their tricks of the trade 20