How Safe is Life Savers Emergency Room?

While you might be worried about catching the COVID-19 virus if you have to go to the emergency room, Life Savers Emergency Room is taking every precaution to prevent the spread of the virus and ensure a safe environment for every patient.

We are following the following protocols to keep every patient safe:

• Universal Masks:  Every person in the ER must wear a face mask. Health care professionals will be wearing full personal protective equipment (PPE) and will be practicing frequent hand hygiene. Please wear a mask when entering our facility.
• Screening: Every person who is entering the ER will be screened for symptoms of COVID-19.  This includes a temperature check and a series of questions.
• Social Distancing:  Life Savers Emergency Room has arranged waiting areas and the check-in area to allow for social distancing. This will minimize contact between you and others in the waiting areas. Wait times are minimal to reduce the time spent with others.
• Frequent Cleaning:  We are making every effort to continually clean our waiting rooms, patient rooms, restrooms, and frequently used surfaces. Every room is sanitized before a patient enters.
• Isolation:  For those patients that think they might be positive, we have separate isolation rooms to reduce the chance of transmission to others.

What if I Want a Test for COVID-19?

While we can test patients for COVID-19, we are not a testing center.  Please visit a testing facility if you are looking to be tested.  If you are experiencing COVID-19 symptoms, please come into the ER.

What if I Need Financial Assistance?

We realize that these times are difficult for some of our community members and we do not want financial strains to prevent you from coming to Life Savers Emergency Room.  If you or your family’s financial situation has been impacted by the pandemic and you are unable to pay for medical care, please let us know upon arrival and we may be able to discount your payment.

Life Savers Emergency Room is here to help you during these uncertain times.  We consider you and your family’s safety to be our top priority. We are open 24 hours, 7 days a week and staffed with board-certified ER physicians to assist you. You can be assured that keeping you safe during your visit to our facility is of our utmost concern. Please contact us with any questions.

COVID-19 Care

At Life Savers Emergency Room, we currently offer COVID-19 CARE for patients who present with certain risk factors and symptoms. Testing is done in conjunction with treatment of coronavirus symptoms during an emergency room visit.

Our in-house rapid  tests are billed to insurance plans at $200-$399, not including Emergency Room care.    We have a range of cash rates for uninsured patients who need COVID-19 CARE and treatment, as these patients often qualify for different levels of financial assistance.

Life Savers Emergency Room  also offers molecular (PCR) testing options at the Doctor’s discretion.  With molecular testing, the samples are collected by Life Savers ER staff during the patient’s visit. We then work with outside laboratories to process the molecular tests. The outside laboratories set their own prices and bill separately for these services. The turnaround time for results may be up to 7 days.  As always, our emergency facilities provide full disclosure of anticipated out-of-pocket costs for testing and treatment during your visit.

While we have the ability to test our patients for COVID-19, we are not considered a testing center. If you are seeking a testing center, please go to Texas Coronavirus (COVID-19) website or dial 2-1-1 and select Option 6. https://www.texas.gov/covid19/

Texas Senate Bill 425

Senate Bill 425, passed by the Texas Legislature during the 84th Regular Session, requires all FECs to post notice of the following:

• This is a Freestanding Emergency Medical Care Facility
• This facility charges rates comparable to a hospital Emergency Room and may charge a facility fee
• This facility or physician providing medical care at this facility may not be a participating provider in your Health Benefit Plan provider network
• A physician providing medical care at this facility may bill separately from the facility for the medical care provided to you

Texas House Bill 3276

• If we are not in-network with your particular health plan, Federal law requires insurance companies to process your ER visit at the in-network benefit level.
• We are not yet recognized by Medicaid. If you would like to assist us in being able to accept these insurance plans, please contact your legislators.

Texas House Bill 2041

House Bill 2041, passed by the Texas Legislature during the 86th Regular Session, requires all FECs to post notice of the following:

• This facility is a Freestanding Emergency Medical Care Facility.
• This facility charges rates comparable to a hospital Emergency Room and may charge a facility fee.
• The facility or physician providing medical care at this facility may be an out of network provider for the patient health benefit plan provider network.
• A physician providing medical care at this facility may bill separately from the facility for the medical care provided to the patient.

Who Can Get Tested?

Life Savers ER Testing is available at all convenient ER locations. You do not need to have symptoms of COVID-19 in order to be tested.

Why Is Early Testing Critical?

Early testing for COVID-19 will allow earlier identification of those infected whether symptomatic or asymptomatic. Isolating these positive patients will help prevent further spread of the disease, and will also enable them to let any previous contacts know they have possibly been exposed. Early testing is also important to the larger public-health picture in that it allows experts to better characterize the prevalence, spread, and contagiousness of the disease in a wider sample of the population.

Why Is Life Savers ER Providing Testing?

Since Life Savers ER was founded, it has been our mission to provide safe, comfortable, medical care without a long wait in a crowded emergency room. Providing COVID-19 CARE helps us further this mission. Widespread testing of populations in other countries has been shown to help “flatten the curve,” identify areas of increased virus activity, and reduce further spread. We are committed to doing our part during this crisis.

Rapid COVID-19 Point-of-Care Testing

Life Savers ER will be using the SARS Antigen Fluorescent Immunoassay (FIA) that detects the presence of COVID-19 antigens in the blood. This test determines if individuals have a current and active infection of COVID-19. The SARS Antigen FIA test has been authorized for use by the FDA under an Emergency Use Authorization (EUA).

What are the benefits?

• Testing is carried out onsite at our clinic.
• Results will be made available in approximately 15 minutes.
• The ability to know whether you’re COVID-19 positive or negative is beneficial to you personally but also to family members and those you share a household with. A positive result means that you can start to self-isolate immediately.

What if the test result is positive?

If you have a positive test result, it is very likely that you have COVID-19. Proteins from the virus that causes COVID-19 were found in your sample. The doctor will inform you of your test results as soon as possible and will discuss the next steps with you.

What if the test result is negative?

A negative test result means that proteins from the virus that causes COVID-19 were not found in your sample. If your test result is negative, this usually means no follow-up is necessary. However, standard precautions for avoiding COVID-19 such as face masks and handwashing should still be followed.

What are the potential risks of the test?

• Possible discomfort or other complications that can happen during sample collection.
• Possible incorrect test result. There is a very small chance that the test can give a positive result that is wrong (a false positive result) or a negative result that is wrong (a false negative). Our clinic staff work diligently to make sure that the test is carried out following the strictest protocol. This helps to minimize the number of incorrect results.

*Terms apply.

*Kindly note that Life Savers Emergency Room provides Covid-19 testing and treatment along with Emergency Medical Services. This dedication to providing medical care may extend your Covid-19 testing result time*