Trauma center is a hospital capable of providing specialized medical services and resources to patients suffering from traumatic injuries. Appropriate treatment by specially trained staff has been shown to reduce the likelihood of death and permanent disability to injured patients. Accredited trauma centers must be continuously prepared to treat the most serious life threatening and disabling injuries. Even though trauma centers are within hospitals, they are not intended to replace the traditional hospital and its emergency department for minor injuries.

Men’s health awareness month has recently passed, but the topic is one worth discussing year-round. Here is why: 50% of premature male deaths in the US are preventable. In addition, “men in the United States, on average, die 5 years earlier than women and die at higher rates from the three leading causes of death, heart disease, cancer, and unintentional injuries.

While these statistics are startling, we encourage men to take them as a sign to take health into their own hands.

Your condition is life-threatening, a trip to urgent care is generally a better use of a patient’s time and resources to treat injuries, fevers, infections and other ailments. Urgent care centers often have far shorter wait times than the ER and cost less than a traditional hospital emergency room visit. If you’ve ever wondered whether to go to an ER or an urgent care clinic, you’re not alone. As physicians, we’re often asked by family, friends and patients if their symptoms warrant an ER visit, a trip to an urgent care clinic, a call to their primary care doctor or simply management at home.

The Internal Revenue Service (IRS) defines “charity care”, also known as “financial assistance”, as “free or discounted health services provided to persons who meet the organization’s eligibility criteria for financial assistance and are unable to pay for all or a portion of the services.”

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Hospital Charity Care: How It Works and Why It Matters

Zachary Levinson, Scott Hulver, and Tricia Neuman
Published: Nov 03, 2022 – About four in ten adults (41%) in the United States—and about six in ten (57%) of those with household incomes below $40,000—have some level of medical debt

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Is there financial help for my medical bills?
Financial assistance programs, sometimes called “charity care,” provide free or discounted health care to people who need help paying their medical bills. These programs may help patients who do not have insurance and patients who have insurance but are underinsured.

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Steps to ask about financial assistance or charity care
1. Ask for a copy of the hospital’s FAP up front. By law, the policy must be provided free of charge and explain how to apply for help. In communities with significant limited English proficiency populations, a hospital may be required to translate documents into the primary language of those communities.

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