SHEFFIELD, Ohio — Hospitals across the country are being inundated with COVID-19 patients. In hopes of alleviating that burden from many area hospitals, University Hospital's Center for Orthopedics is urging people with broken bones, fractures and any other muscle or bone injury to use its walk-in urgent clinic instead of the emergency room.
- The Center for Orthopedics at University Hospitals has several locations in Lorain and Cuyahoga counties
- They treat patients with broken bones, fractures and any other muscle or bone injury at its walk-in urgent care clinic
- Urging patients to see them first and saying it will be cheaper than the ER
"At this particular time it's obviously important with the coronavirus pandemic, we want to keep healthy people out of the emergency room as much as possible, any of the resources emergency rooms can spend on sick patients or Covid patients is needed, said Dr. Daniel Zanotti , orthopedic surgeon, The Center for Orthopedics. "Your injury can be diagnosed, you can be treated at the same time and if you would need surgery or physical therapy or bracing, you can have that done at a one-stop shop."
The Center for Orthopedics is treating patients at all four of its locations in Lorain and Cuyahoga counties.
Dr. Zanotti says emergency room patients are typically referred to an orthopedic surgeon even after being treated. Going straight to an orthopedic surgeon saves you money and it's cheaper than an emergency room visit.
"It's vastly cheaper than going to the emergency room, you save that double visit, save on unnecessary tests or imaging that may not need or not need to be done" said Dr. Zanotti.
Dr. Zanotti says since Ohio's stay-at-home order went into effect, the surgeons are seeing fewer injuries.
"Interestingly, there's less visits across the board, whether it's orthopedics, or cardiology or other specialty, mainly because people are adhering to the stay in mentality, we're seeing less people get injured because they're not outside doing things, we're seeing less heart attacks in the ER because people aren't exerting themselves," said Dr. Zanotti.
Walk-ins are welcome, but scheduling an appointment is preferred.