Holly Springs, NC -- (SBWIRE) -- 01/31/2011 -- Patients with winter related injuries and sicknesses are filling-up a new, local medical facility that offers patients a more cost effective and quicker alternative to the area’s overcrowded emergency rooms. Doctors Express, the nation’s first ever nationally franchised urgent care with a center serving the area, is experiencing a tremendous increase in patients this winter who want to see a doctor without long waits and high prices. Doctors Express physicians say they provide one solution to the cost and overcrowding of the ER that spikes during winter months with cold weather-related injuries and illnesses.

“It’s common for an ER to report a 50% increase in patients during winter. And those patients are facing an average wait time of more than four hours. The emergency room shouldn’t be your first stop for a sprained ankle or the flu,” says Dr. Scott Burger, a former emergency room doctor and co-founder of Doctors Express, with several centers serving the local area. “Urgent care centers like Doctors Express are prepared to handle all non-critical patients much quicker and at a fraction of the cost of a visit to the ER.”

Most Common Winter Injuries/Sicknesses
- Flu: A CDC report says several states are reporting widespread flu activity picking up . January, February and March are the biggest flu months. Typically, 1 in 5 people get the flu each year.

- Slipping on the Ice: Slipping is the leading cause of spine and back injuries in the U.S.

- Snow blowing: Nearly 6,000 people a year are rushed to ER’s. 10% of cases require finger amputations.

- Sledding: Nearly 21,000 kids a year are rushed to ER’s. Most injuries are fractures, but 9% are traumatic brain injuries.

- Shoveling/Manual Removal of Snow: More than 118,000 people a year are injured while removing snow.

- Hypothermia: About 700 people die each year from hypothermia.

Doctors Express walk-in medical centers stand out from other urgent cares by offering, under one roof, broken bone treatment, x-rays, medication dispensing and immediate test results. Physicians can also perform minor surgical procedures. The average wait time to see a physician is only 15 – 20 minutes. Centers accept most insurances and for those self insured, the out of pocket cost is much cheaper than the ER.

“We want families to know they have options when it comes to their healthcare. Why wait hours more to be treated by a doctor and possibly spend hundreds more dollars when you don’t have to, says Dr. Burger. “At Doctors Express, we offer busy patients a convenient and affordable healthcare option.”