Open 24 Hours, 7 Days a Week
Texas Emergency Care Center 281) 238-5039 Texas Emergency Care Center 281) 238-5039

FAQ

  • General

    • WHAT IF YOU ARE NOT IN MY INSURANCE NETWORK?
      Texas law requires that insurance plans pay out-of-network emergency visits at the same benefit level as if the patient had gone to an in-network emergency room. This is to allow the patient to go to the nearest emergency room and prevent valuable time from being wasted searching for in-network facilities and physicians.
    • DO YOU TAKE MY INSURANCE?
      We will bill all private insurance plans, including but not limited to Aetna, Blue Cross Blue Shield, Cigna, Humana, Multiplan, and United Healthcare for your emergency benefits based on your level of care. At this time, we are not a Medicaid, Medicare or Tricare provider.
    • CAN I GET A COST PRIOR TO MY VISIT?
      Federal EMTALA laws prevent us from discussing financial information with you prior to being evaluated to determine if you have a medical emergency. This law is meant to protect you and ensure that you receive immediate and proper care regardless of your individual financial situation.
    • WHAT WILL THIS COST?
      The cost to visit Texas Emergency Care Center will be comparable to visiting a hospital emergency room for the same presenting symptoms, treatment, and diagnosis.
    • WHAT IF I DON’T HAVE INSURANCE?
      At our Emergency Care Centers, we have the responsibility to treat any patient that has been determined to have a medical emergency regardless of their ability to pay at the time of the visit. We work with all of our patients who to prefer to pay cash on flexible payment options and have a charity care program for qualified patients who do not have health insurance.
    • WHAT AM I REQUIRED TO PAY?
      At the time of service, you will be required to pay your emergency room co-pay, or urgent care co-pay if you are being seen in one of our urgent cares, as designated by your insurance plan, and you’ll have the opportunity to pay the portion of your estimated deductible as verified by your insurance provider. As with any visit to an emergency room or urgent care, upon receipt of your explanation of benefits (EOB) from the insurance carrier, you may also be required to pay your remaining deductible or any co-insurance that is determined to be patient responsibility by your contract with your insurance provider.
    • WHAT IF I HAVE TO BE ADMITTED TO THE HOSPITAL?
      Texas Emergency Care Center has transfer agreements in place with multiple hospitals in the greater Houston metropolitan area. We’ll coordinate admittance to a hospital should further monitoring or care be required as part of your treatment. When a transfer is required for further care, or monitoring, you will not incur a second emergency room visit. You’ll be admitted directly to your room at the hospital or taken straight to the cath-lab or surgical suite.
    • WHEN SHOULD I VISIT A LICENSED, FREE-STANDING EMERGENCY ROOM?

      As a licensed, free-standing emergency room, Texas Emergency Care Center is different than an urgent care facility.  As a rule of thumb, you could consider an urgent care center as a regular doctors office with extended hours.

      If you have a medical condition that requires immediate attention, whether it’s minor or major, you can go to an emergency room. When you make the decision about what ER to visit, keep in mind that the national average wait time for hospital-based emergency rooms is fifty five minutes*. As a licensed, free-standing emergency room, Texas Emergency Care Center is capable of treating all the same conditions as a hospital-based emergency room, and the average wait time at our facilities is less than 20 minutes.

      Examples of medical conditions we treat:

      • Sports injuries
      • Heart attacks
      • Strokes
      • Respiratory distress
      • Head injuries
      • Abdominal pain
      • Dehydration
      • Orthopedic injuries (fractures)
      • Lacerations

      *Based on 2012 CDC Report

    • WHAT IS A FREE-STANDING EMERGENCY ROOM?
      As of September 2010, the State of Texas requires that all free-standing emergency rooms have a license to operate. A licensed, free-standing emergency room is a facility that is opened to the public 24 hours a day, 365 days a year for the treatment of major and minor emergent medical conditions. The free-standing emergency room must be staffed with experienced emergency medicine physicians onsite 24 hours a day and registered nurses (RN). Additionally, a licensed, free-standing emergency room has the same diagnostic equipment that a hospital-based ER does. In other words, when you visit a licensed, free-standing emergency room, you’ll receive all the same care and services that you would at a traditional hospital-based emergency room, the facility just isn’t located on a hospital campus.

  • Insurance

    • APPEALS
      Appeals – When your health insurer says no to paying for your emergency visit or underpays the claim, that doesn’t have to be the final word. There are many times that we will have to appeal how the insurance company processed your claim. The appeals process takes time and often has to be repeated multiple times. We will often need your assistance during this process. We will work as a team to ensure that we resolve the issues as quickly as possible.
    • EOD (EXPLANATION OF BENEFITS)
      EOB (explanation of benefits) – The statement is prepared in accordance to your contract with your insurance provider. It itemizes the services received, the amount your insurance company paid for those services (if any), and the amount you are responsible for. This is NOT A BILL from Texas Emergency Care Centers.
    • MAXIMUM OUT OF POCKET
      Maximum Out of Pocket Expense – This is the maximum amount that you will have to pay annually via coinsurance and deductible before your insurance plan pays 100% of your covered medical expenses.
    • COINSURANCE
      Coinsurance – This is probably THE most confusing term with regards to health insurance. Once you have met your annual deductible, many insurance companies share the cost of care with you. This is called “coinsurance”. If your plan has a 20% coinsurance, then your insurance company will cover 80% of your covered medical expenses. It is important to remember that this only applies after you have met your deductible.
    • DEDUCTIBLE
      Deductible – The amount that the patient is responsible for paying BEFORE your health insurance plan begins to pay for covered medical expenses annually. This amount is determined by the plan you choose and is a CONTRACT between the patient and the insurance company. These amounts are not determined or set by providers, physicians or facilities.
    • COPAY
      Copay – this is a fixed amount that is set by your insurance company depending on your plan contract with the company. This payment varies between service providers; primary care physicians, specialists, urgent cares or emergency rooms. Copays are not usually applied to your deductible.
    • PREMIUM
      Premium – This is the cost that you and/or your employer pays to the insurance carrier for you to have ACCESS to your plan.
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