ProMedica Is Prepared To Provide Best Care For Maumee Community

BY KAREN GERHARDINGER | MIRROR REPORTER — When ProMedica un-veiled its new Toledo Hospital Emergency and Urgent Care facility in Maumee’s Side Cut Crossing in October 2021, the timing couldn’t have been better, said Dr. Kent Bishop, chief medical officer and president of ProMedica Physicians.

“We opened at the height of the pandemic – when all of our facilities were seeing their highest demand,” Bishop said.

Now, with the announcement that McLaren St. Luke’s Hospital is closing by the end of May, the Maumee facility is prepared to provide the best care for Maumee and the surrounding communities, he said.

“We have had enough time behind us now that we can really judge the impacts of the (St. Luke’s) closure and judge accordingly,” he said. “Given the volumes from the peak of the pandemic, we feel we can meet those needs.”

Finding positions for displaced St. Luke’s workers has been a priority. Within a week of McLaren’s an-nouncement, a recruiting team mobilized to share information about available positions, including environmental services, dietary, nursing, specialists and more. A team was also formed to help those employees going through distress, Bishop added. 

“We don’t have any joy when people go through rough times, and no one is excited to see a long-term institution close,” Bishop said. “We’re excited to help the employees who have been displaced, and we’re committed to the people of Maumee. We’ve got a really strong team that we’re extremely proud of in our Maumee facility, and I’m confident we can meet the needs of the area.”

The integrated ER and urgent care facility is the first of its kind in the county and a prototype for other ProMedica facilities in the region. The walk-in clinic is staffed by an ER-trained physician who can handle a variety of issues, including chest and abdominal pain; strokes and seizures; respiratory and breathing issues; lacerations and wounds; flu, cold and sore throat symptoms; allergies; fractures, sprains and bruising; and pediatric needs of all kinds. The facility has labs, a CT scan, X-ray and ultrasound on-site.

“We provide an appropriate triage to determine what is the right level of care,” Bishop said. “When someone comes in, they are treated as an ER patient unless the level of care requires an urgent care, based on acuity and presenting symptoms.”

On the ER side, patients are assessed, treated and stabilized, then referred for outpatient treatment as a follow-up or transferred to Toledo Hospital if more care is needed.

“We have the same doctors from Toledo Hospital at the Maumee clinic at times. We have strong and professional providers whose skill sets function in both the highest-acuity ER and the satellite. It’s a full-service ER.”

About 70 percent of the patients are deferred to the urgent care side, so they are billed at a lower rate than for ER services. The clinic accepts Medicare and Medicaid as well as private insurance, but Bishop recommends checking with an insurance company to ensure coverage.

“Our combined model means you’ll only be charged for the level of care you need, and you’ll have faster access to emergency care if needed. We are committed to fair billing and will always be up front about the level of care that is needed,” said Tausha Moore, ProMedica director of public relations.

The combined model of an ER and urgent care has been well-received by patients, based on 397 Google reviews, which give the Maumee facility 4.5 out of 5 stars.

“It was a very positive experience,” wrote a reviewer named Sharon. “Very short wait time and as soon as I was taken back to my cubicle, my care began. They were very thorough, knowledgeable, and extremely pleasant and courteous. I had excellent care. I would certainly go there again if the need arose.”

“Every single staff member was extremely helpful and friendly,” wrote Becky, another reviewer. “They all showed an honest passion for helping me. I left there feeling much better and more confident in the health industry.”

Reviewer Mark wrote that he believes the staff saved not just his hand and arm, but also his life, calling his care “above and beyond your 5-star review.”

The Maumee clinic draws from the city and the surrounding areas – including right across the parking lot, with Maumee Pointe assisted living and memory care and the Karmanos Cancer Institute at The Toledo Clinic Cancer Center in the same growing Side Cut Crossing development.

“People want to seek care close to home wherever possible, whether for urgent care or lab testing,” Bishop said. “We’re here for them.”

While the facility has lab and diagnostic testing capabilities, those services are reserved for patients seeking care at the facility, said Moore, noting that it is not a stand-alone testing site.

The ProMedica Toledo Hospital Emergency and Urgent Care is located at 1075 Medical Center Pkwy. in Maumee, just east of the US 24/I-475 interchange. The ER is open 24 hours a day and the urgent care from 7:00 a.m. to 9:00 p.m. daily. For questions, call (567) 585-0800.