NEW LONDON — The Express Care department at New London Hospital is now “Express Care Plus.”
The addition of the word “Plus” to the department’s name aims to educate patients about the department’s level of care and to more clearly identify the service as a type B emergency department.
There are no new services, facilities, construction or staff with the rebranding, Dartmouth Health spokesperson Audra Burns said in an email on Wednesday. New London Hospital is a member of the Dartmouth Health system.
New London’s Express Care opened as a type B emergency department in 2021, which means that it must by law provide care for emergency medical conditions on an urgent basis without an appointment, a Wednesday news release from the hospital said.
The type B designation is licensed by the state of New Hampshire and the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, the release said.
New London’s Express Care Plus department accepts everyone over the age of 1, including patients without a primary care provider and patients from outside the Dartmouth Health system, the release said.
The Express Care Plus department offers advanced imaging, comprehensive on-site lab services, collaboration with medical specialists and easy transfer to the Emergency Department, according to the hospital’s website.
Conditions and illnesses treatable by the department include sprains, strains, rashes, cuts, lacerations, fractures, respiratory infections, eye injuries and sinus infections, according to the hospital’s website.
Those with life-threatening emergency medical conditions such as chest pain, severe abdominal pain, profuse bleeding or head trauma, loss of consciousness or signs of a stroke should instead go to the emergency department, which is a type A emergency department, the hospital’s website says.
Type B emergency departments fall under the Emergency Medical Treatment and Labor Act (EMTALA), which requires them to provide emergency medical screening and stabilizing treatment to any patient, regardless of their ability to pay or their insurance coverage.
Type A emergency department costs can exceed $2,000 in total, while those of type B at the same level of care go just over $1,000, according to New London’s list of charges.
The department accepts most insurance plans, including Medicare and Medicaid, although some plans may require emergency room level co-payment and coinsurance, according to the release.
Alice Peck Day in Lebanon, another hospital in the Dartmouth Health system, opened its own Express Care department earlier this month. Another member of Dartmouth Health, Mt. Ascutney Hospital in Windsor, has had walk-in services for minor conditions since 2021.
The New London Express Care Plus department is open seven days a week, with hours on Monday-Friday from 9 a.m. to 7 p.m., Saturday from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Sunday from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.