Atlanta, GA -- (SBWIRE) -- 12/04/2009 -- At a time when Congress is debating how to radically overhaul the nation’s health care system, two local MBAs will use their business backgrounds to create a new urgent care practice to dramatically improve the convenience and affordability for patients needing immediate medical care. Doctors Express, the first national urgent care franchise, will open next week in Buckhead at 1800 Howell Mill Rd. NW at the intersection of I-75 and Howell Mill Rd. and will redefine the patient experience by eliminating long waits associated with doctor’s office or emergency room visits.

The franchise owners will use a business approach to deliver affordable, efficient, non-emergency treatment to almost anyone who walks in. The Doctors Express franchise will do for urgent care, what, say, Pearle Vision did for glasses. (See USA Today article) http://www.usatoday.com/money/industries/health/2009-07-12-doctors-express-franchise_N.htm

The Atlanta Doctors Express urgent care center will have much shorter wait times and cost significantly less than emergency rooms. Unlike most primary care physician offices, it will be open 7-days-a-week and accept walk-ins. Unlike retail clinics, patients will always be seen by board certified physicians.

It will be a one-stop-shop for medical care where experienced physicians will diagnose and treat everything from colds and flu to cuts, sprains, and broken bones. The center will turn around x-ray and lab tests within minutes because the equipment is all on site. In addition, most commonly needed medicine prescriptions will be filled before patients leave from their in-house pharmacy. With an average wait time of only 15 – 20 minutes, most patients will be in and out in less than an hour with their prescription in hand.

Owners Chris and Theone Rutledge, both with high level corporate management experience, will use their business acumen to run their center with customer service as their number one priority. The Rutledges have hired Georgia ER physician Dr. John Destito as Doctors Express Medical Director. “Dr. Destito is an experienced and compassionate physician and as medical director, he will ensure that all of our patients receive the highest quality medical care”, adds Theone Rutledge. “We believe that our team of qualified physicians, nurses and x-ray technicians will deliver a healthcare experience that will surpass patient expectations.”

“Atlanta can benefit from fresh approaches to medical service and we feel with our business backgrounds we can provide an innovative solution with Doctors Express,” says Chris Rutledge who plans to open several more centers next year to serve the greater Atlanta metropolitan area. “Emergency rooms are overloaded, and patients with non-life-threatening illnesses and injuries need a more convenient and affordable way to get treated by experienced physicians. We believe Doctors Express is an efficient, lower cost alternative to health care that will be highly valued in Atlanta communities.”

Doctors Express was originally founded by an emergency room physician and two business executives in Towson, Maryland. After they developed a successful business model, they started to franchise with some twenty five territories sold to date. The long term goal is to have some 3,000 centers across the nation, with the Doctors Express logo as recognizable as McDonald’s golden arches no matter where you travel in the U.S.

“So far, Doctors Express franchise owners typically come from corporate America, with a medical background not necessary, but certainly helpful,” says Doctors Express franchise developer Doug Schadle. “People like the Rutledges with good management and business skills can efficiently run a medical center because they’re used to delivering quality, timely service with customer satisfaction being the number one goal. The medical industry definitely needs this.”

Consider this:

•46 million Americans (1/6 of the population) do not have medical insurance and many do not have a primary physician of choice.

•The American Medical Association reports it takes an average of 18 days to get an appointment with an internist and 30 days for an appointment with a specialist.

•A study by the Physicians Foundation found the number of primary care physicians is shrinking because nearly ½ of our nation’s primary care docs, including pediatricians plan to stop practicing or reduce the number of patients they see over the next 3 years.

•The CDC attributes the increase in ER visits partly to the difficulty patients have getting an appointment with their primary physician.

The Doctors Express Difference:

•Most patients are handled in a single visit: initial doctor’s exam, lab work, x-rays, treatment, medication dispensing.

•Every patient is seen by experienced physicians who are trained to see patients of all ages and are equipped to handle all issues except life-threatening illnesses and injuries.

•Services are affordable and most insurance, including Medicare, is accepted.

The Doctors Express Atlanta urgent care center will open December 2009 at 1800 Howell Mill Road, NW in Buckhead at the intersection of I-75 and Howell Mill Road. Hours Open: Monday-Friday 8 AM to 8 PM and Saturday-Sunday 10 AM to 6 PM.

About Doctors Express:
Doctors Express was founded in Baltimore in 2005 by an emergency room physician seeking a more efficient, affordable and personable system for urgent care patients. Doctors Express walk in medical centers are sweeping across the country as America’s first nationally branded urgent care centers. Doctors Express provides state-of-the-art treatment for acute illness, trauma and sports injuries (including minor surgical procedures) and even has an onsite x-ray service and in-house pharmacy. Pre-employment physicals, drug screening and treatment of work related injuries are also available to local employers. Visit http://www.DoctorsExpress.com.