Hopkins Tries Urgent Care for Cancer Patients

Patients being treated for cancer have medical needs that extend far beyond their most critical diagnosis—more than a few of which are a result of their treatment. Johns Hopkins Hospital is offering them a place to go besides the emergency room when they’re suffering with pain, fever, nausea, or anything else for which they need immediate care, by creating an urgent care center specifically for them. Besides the long waits and generalized care they can expect to find in the ED, the risks they face by being around other sick patients can leave them open to infection. The Hopkins urgent care space is adjacent to an area where chemotherapy is administered and is open 12 hours a day, Monday through Friday. Plans are to extend that to Saturdays next March. It sees 10 patients per day on average. Most are able to return after just a few hours. Offering urgent care dedicated to cancer patients is also expected to lower the cost of overall treatment, as the typical urgent care visit is considerably less expensive than a trip to the ED.