People who suffer from minor ailments and injuries now have an alternative to the emergency room.
Excel Urgent Care Center, at US 224 and West Market Street, will begin seeing patients Thursday. An open house is planned 5-7 p.m. Wednesday.
Convenience -in location, hours and speed of service - and value make this a good option, said owner/operator Mazhur Hussain. Hussain, an emergency room physician from the Columbus area who has worked in Upper Sandusky, said nurses he worked with suggested that there was a need in Tiffin. After a good experience opening an urgent care center in Marion, Hussain said decided to enter the Tiffin market.
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PHOTO BY CATHY WILLOUGHBY
Excel Urgent Care Center at US 224 and West Market Street opens Thursday.
Excel Urgent Care Center hours will be 8 a.m.-8 p.m. daily, and will be open on weekends and holidays.
"The focus is on convenience," Hussain said. "If you have a sore throat, you might call the doctor and he can't get you in until next week. But you need to see somebody now - here you won't need an appointment, you can just walk in at your convenience. It's also very quick, because we value people's time."
He said while an emergency room visit might cost $400 to $500, a visit to urgent care may be $100.
"They'll receive the same service for less money, and if they have no insurance, it will be a nominal price," Hussain said. "If they do have insurance, it will be one-fifth to one-sixth less than an emergency room visit."
The urgent care center has four exam rooms and a large reception area.
The building was designed to provide natural light and a spacious feeling with two skylights.
"We would see work-related injuries like lacerations, cuts, all minor injuries and ailments," he said. "If we feel it is more involved, we can send them to the emergency room."
Another benefit to patients will be the ability to dispense commonly prescribed medications at a nominal cost. If a patient prefers to pick up their prescription at a pharmacy, the urgent care center will send them electronically.
Hussain said work and sports physicals will cost $20.
"It's really about the convenience and money, that it doesn't cost as much," he said. "We feel that it is a necessity to have an urgent care center, and if we didn't open, somebody else would. We are pleased that we are the first to come in to serve the people of Seneca County."
For more information, visit www.xlurgentcare.com.
