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Doctors Care and MUSC Health announce regional affiliation to improve health care access

By September 10, 2019Press

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
September 10, 2019

Media Contacts:

Doctors Care
Jill Armbruster
[email protected]
803-726-4726

MUSC Health
Heather Woolwine
[email protected]
843-792-7669

Doctors Care and MUSC Health announce regional affiliation to improve health care access

Charleston, S.C. – Doctors Care, P.A. (Doctors Care) and MUSC Health have agreed to an affiliation to provide patients with increased access to primary care, urgent care, specialty care and emergency care throughout the Lowcountry and Grand Strand regions of South Carolina.

The affiliation between the two long-established health organizations builds further on an existing relationship and represents a sustained commitment to offer the best access, value and comprehensive care for coastal South Carolina residents.

The primary goal of the new affiliation is to help patients to make the best decisions when choosing the most appropriate setting from which to seek medical care. An urgent care center provides same-day, affordable treatment for patients who require care for illnesses like colds and flu or minor injuries that are not life-threatening. The vast network of Doctors Care centers, all of which offer walk-in service, will help MUSC Health decrease unnecessary visits to its emergency rooms and provide patients with an easier transition to specialty services as needed. Both organizations have launched educational efforts to assist staff and patients when making decisions about where to seek treatment.

“This collaborative effort strengthens the relationship we’ve already built with MUSC as a health care partner in the Charleston region and our commitment to serving patients in those communities.” said Curtis Franke, M.D., president and chief medical officer of Doctors Care. “We look forward to growing the footprint of our affiliation to include the entire coastal region of the state and working hand in hand with MUSC to increase access to all levels of treatment for residents in these regions.”

The new affiliation is effective immediately and includes 10 Doctors Care urgent care locations in the Tri-county Charleston region and 9 Doctors Care urgent care locations on the coast from Georgetown to Little River.

“Access to health care resources is a top patient concern,” said MUSC Health Primary Care Integrated Center of Clinical Excellence chief Terrence E. Steyer, M.D. “We are pleased to work collaboratively with our colleagues at Doctors Care to provide education and information to help patients make the best care decisions possible. Our goal is to improve the health of South Carolinians by working together.”

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About Doctors Care, P.A.

Doctors Care urgent care is a leading health care organization focused on delivering exceptional and convenient urgent care, family care and occupational health services. Its original center, opened in Columbia in 1981, was the first urgent care center in South Carolina. Now, Doctors Care is one of the largest urgent care companies in the United States, with more than 1,000 employees. Its network of 54 urgent care locations continues to expand to serve patients with quality medical care that is both convenient and affordable. All Doctors Care centers offer online check-in, real-time patient volumes, onsite dispensing, flexible hours, onsite X-ray and laboratory, telehealth services and more. Visit DoctorsCare.com to learn more.

About MUSC Health

As the clinical health system of the Medical University of South Carolina (MUSC), MUSC Health is dedicated to delivering the highest quality patient care available, while training generations of competent, compassionate health care providers to serve the people of South Carolina and beyond. Comprising some 1,600 beds, more than 100 outreach sites, the MUSC College of Medicine, the physicians’ practice plan and nearly 275 telehealth locations, MUSC Health owns and operates eight hospitals situated in Charleston, Chester, Florence, Lancaster and Marion counties. In 2019, for the fifth consecutive year, U.S. News & World Report named MUSC Health the No. 1 hospital in South Carolina. To learn more about clinical patient services, visit http://muschealth.org.

Founded in 1824, MUSC and its affiliates have collective annual budgets of $3 billion. The more than 17,000 MUSC team members include world-class faculty, physicians, specialty providers and scientists who deliver groundbreaking education, research, technology and patient care. For information on academic programs, visit musc.edu.