Ignoring heart attacks is a fatal mistake for thousands, says Legacy ER & Urgent Care
Every 34 seconds, someone in the United States has a heart attack, and 22,200 of those people die because they didn’t recognize the signs of what was happening to them. According to the American Heart Association, 370,000 people die of heart disease every year, but tens of thousands of them could easily be saved if they had just known what to look for and what to do.
“Too many people ignore heart issues. We have heard every excuse there is for not coming to the ER sooner. Patients have been known to say things like ‘I thought it was just indigestion…’ or ‘I don’t have the time right now’ or ‘I thought it could wait,’” says Dr. Jay Woody, co-founder of Legacy ER & Urgent Care, a 24/7 emergency and urgent care medical services center with locations throughout North Texas. “It’s important to see a doctor even if people are unsure that they are having a heart issue.”
Even though it’s better to be safe than sorry, many people still find reasons not to go to the doctor:
1. I don’t know where to go: This is more common than expected. Many people don’t know if they require an emergency room visit, an urgent care or if their primary doctor should first see them.
At the end of the day, if patients are experiencing heart attack symptoms (tightness in chest, pain in the left arm, dizziness or irregular heartbeat), it’s important to get checked as soon as they can before the symptoms escalate to major problems. At Legacy ER & Urgent Care, board certified physicians make a diagnosis based on the symptoms and condition of a patient.
“Many people don’t realize that Legacy has a fully equipped emergency room ready to handle patients dealing with a heart problem,” Woody explains. “We have ER certified doctors, a lab to do blood work, ultrasound machines, X-rays, EKGs and CT scanners to test for heart issues – we have the same equipment in our ER as you would find in a hospital-attached ER.”
2. I can’t afford it: Many people say it’s too expensive and they don’t have the resources for an emergency room visit.
A vast majority of Legacy ER & Urgent Care patients have what can be classified as urgent care needs, where lower charges apply. Legacy ER & Urgent Care strives for complete transparency and lets its patients know where their diagnosis fits ahead of time. Why is this important, besides being ethically responsible? Walk-in ERs and hospital emergency rooms can only bill one way; every visit is an emergency visit. Using its hybrid healthcare model, Legacy ER & Urgent Care’s physicians review the heart issue and determine if the patient needs to be treated as an emergency room patient or as an urgent care patient. This unique model allows patients to only pay for the care they receive and results in over $1,800 in savings per visit over a Free Standing Emergency Room.
3. I don’t have time right now: Modern day schedules are packed from the moment people wake up to the moment they fall asleep. Unless the pain or illness is unbearable, many people think they just don’t have the time to go to the doctor, or they fear that they will sit around in a waiting room for hours waiting to be seen.
Appointments are not necessary at Legacy ER & Urgent Care, and online check-in means people can even bypass paperwork when they arrive. Most patients wait less than five minutes to see the board certified physician and are typically heading home in less than 30 minutes.
4. I don’t want to be lectured: Many are afraid of being judged. Maybe they are overweight or smoke or drink too much and don’t want a healthy living lecture.
Physicians see patients at their most vulnerable time. Find a hospital, emergency room or urgent care center where customer service is part of the key values. Legacy ER & Urgent Care has an exceptional customer service rating comparable to the best retailers and hospitality groups in the country. Imagine that – local healthcare has a new standard for the patient experience.
5. I’m afraid: There is always fear of the unknown. Patients can get fearful when visiting the doctor, especially if they know something is wrong but don’t know exactly what it is.
Catching heart disease or even a heart attack early saves lives. The simple truth is this – more than 370,000 Americans die every year because they did not get help in time.
6. It’s not a heart attack, it’s something else: They know something is wrong but they are in denial. Let’s face it – as much as a quarter of the U.S. population experiences chest pain that is not related to the heart. But, it only takes once for a heart attack symptom to become fatal.
“We really want to encourage people to see a doctor if they have any clue something is wrong,” says Woody. “When it comes to the heart, every minute counts. And Legacy ER & Urgent Care is here to help make that doctor visit as quick, easy and painless as possible.”
Founded in 2008, Legacy ER & Urgent Care is one of the nation’s first health care models to offer both urgent care and emergency room treatment options under one roof. It has built an exceptional customer service program and rating by providing transparent billing, soothing environments and one-on-one service with board-certified, emergency-trained physicians. Patients have access to immediate, on-site emergency room equipment and only pay emergency care prices when it is truly an emergency.
For more information, visit http://legacyer.com/, facebook.com/LegacyERandUrgentCare or twitter.com/legacyertx.
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Media Contacts:
Stephen Fashoro
TrizCom PR
O: 972-247-1369
C: 469-628-6471
Nikki Darling
TrizCom PR
O: 972-247-1369
Legacy ER & Urgent Care Locations:
1310 W. Exchange Parkway, Allen, Texas 75013: 972-678-4545
330 S. Denton Tap Road, Coppell, Texas 75019 469-312-7777
9205 Legacy Drive, Frisco, Texas 75033: 972-668-6020
16151 Eldorado Parkway, Frisco, Texas 75035: 972-731-5151
1220 Keller Parkway, Keller, Texas 76248: 817-898-8000
2810 Hardin Blvd. #100, McKinney, Texas 75070: 972-548-7277
8950 N. Tarrant Parkway, North Richland Hills, Texas 76182: 817-281-7277
