Doctors Express gets ready to open urgent care, walk-in center in Henderson

Guy and Nonna Russell know what it's like to wait up to four hours at an urgent care facility. Their son Ryan, who was in a near-fatal accident four years ago, often has to go to urgent care facilities for treatment.

"Our experience is one that we wouldn't wish on anyone," Guy Russell said. "Our 4-year-old son was involved in a near-drowning accident at our home. We were fortunate to receive top-notch trauma care. It was when we needed urgent care we saw there was definitely room for improvement. It is disheartening to watch your child suffer for needless hours waiting for care."

The family's experience prompted it to open a franchise of Doctors Express, a national urgent care center, in Henderson. The facility is expected to offer walk-in, urgent care with shorter wait times.

"We feel we are giving a face-lift to urgent care," Russell said.

Doctors Express' Henderson location is slated to have a community open house July 28 at 655 S. Green Valley Parkway. The facility is expected to be open from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. seven days a week.

Stephanie Glankler, the business development director for Doctors Express, said the company's focus is the patient.

"We want patients to know they are more than a number," Glankler said.

According to Doctors Express, the average wait time in an emergency room is 4 hours and 7 minutes, a 31-minute increase since 2002.

Trying to fix the increased time people wait to receive medical care, Doctors Express, founded in Baltimore in 2005, opened as a walk-in, urgent care clinic.

"It was started by a physician in Maryland who saw a need to have a more expedited urgent care system," Glankler said.

Doctors Express centers can treat acute illnesses; non life-threatening injuries, such as cuts and fractures; travel medicine, such as vaccinations; sports injuries, such as treating sprains and applying splints; open-wound care, such as puncture wounds and foreign body removal; and offers lab services.

The center's average wait time is between 15 and 20 minutes.

"We try not to fall above that 20 minutes because it is our common practice," Glankler said.

Glankler said the reason it has been able to stay at the average is because of the flow of procedures and trained staff.

"We have the patient in the room in a reasonable amount of time and make sure the physician has their information before they enter the room," Glankler said.

Glankler said what sets Doctors Express apart from other urgent cares is its ability to offer services under one roof opposed to sending patients to multiple providers.

"We have the ability to do lab work or X-rays on site so you get information on the same visit," Glankler said.

While the Russells run the business side of Doctors Express, Dr. Kevin Templar was hired to run the medical side.

"This is an up-and-coming company that offers a unique perspective on medical practices," Templar said. "We hope to fulfill the medical needs in the community that might not be met by other medical centers."

Templar is charged with training his team to address the needs of the patient in a timely manner. He also trains the staff to be compassionate when treating patients.

"I think there are some centers that really devalue people," Templar said. "We want to set the bar higher for quality care."

When patients come in with anything from a minor injury to a more serious issue, Templar said the ability to connect with the person increases the quality of care.

"It helps them feel like an individual, not just any other patient," Templar said. "We want to be quality-driven, not numbers-driven."

In the next two to three years, four more Doctors Express facilities are planned to open in Las Vegas, Glankler said.

She said Doctors Express is looking to open a new center possibly by December along Blue Diamond Road.

There are 56 Doctors Express centers in the country, and 73 are expected to be operating by the end of the year. More than 100 franchises have been awarded in 23 states. The company's goal is to have 1,000 centers nationwide.

For more information, visit doctorsexpress.com.

Contact Henderson/Anthem View reporter Michael Lyle at mlyle@viewnews.com or 387-5201.