First Choice Emergency Room

People will start trusting doctors and going to the doctor if they learn to treat them like humans, treat them with respect, and stop looking at ways to harvest money from them. 1
They simply exasperated my dislike of all things medical for the exact reasons I have.
1) — Cruel and insensitive. I’m telling you what’s wrong the best I can. I’m not a linguistic genius, nor am I a medical doctor. Stop expecting a detailed report — it hurts, the end. Get into another career if you can’t handle someone not being specific enough and throw a mini tantrum over it.
2) — Money. I told you my doctor wants a chest Xray. Why are you giving me an EKG? MY lungs are the worry — not my heart. My lungs. The organs your breath out of? Yeah — those. Oh yeah — you want my money.
3) — Insane medical terms. Look, as stated in 1) — I’m not a dictionary. Why not ask like a human being «How’s your belly button?» Why ask «How’s your ajdjfhrrjdjgbrh?» Why keep up the crazy talk? I get it — I’m not as smart as you, so can I have the Xray now?
4) WHY START AN IV JUST TO DRAW BLOOD?! $$$$
5) I’m human. Can you seriously treat people with a tiny bit of respect? You are poking and proding when it’s not needed. Try listing to my concerns and stop ASSUMING THINGS!!! Stop ASSUMING!!! LISTEN!!!
GOD. I’m not going to another doctor or anything unless it’s someone I trust 100%. This place taught me a valuable lesson — Doctors don’t listen and they simply don’t care. Places like this exist to make themselves rich at your (and the insurance companies) expense. Needless procedures, needless test just to rack up the bills.
If you still go here — Look for a paramedic named Ruaustin. He is probably the only human being in that place.

Wait time is very minimal, time spent in the room is not very long, and the staff is very friendly. All of these things are hard to come by in urgent care facilities, so this is a great place, in my opinion. The doctor was personable and made sure to say, «God bless you» on his way out of the exam room. He had a warm smile and made me feel comfortable. Another thing that caught my attention was that almost everyone working there told me that they hoped for me to feel better soon… that was nice, and they sounded sincere about it. They gave me a little «goodie bag» of sorts at checkout, with suckers for my son, promotional pens (I love pens, I always lose them, so free pens are awesome to me!), and reference guide for billing (helpful). I hope that I do not need emergency care any time soon, but if I do, I will definitely be visiting here again. Thanks to the staff for not making me feel like just another patient going through the office! :)

I had a major bite on my foot and it progressively got worse over the weekend. I thought it was a mosquito bite but my foot kept swelling. My friend insisted that I go to the ER and get it checked out incase it was a spider bite and it would get worse. Everyone was very nice and helpful but I just got a weird vibe from the place not sure if it was because it was a Sunday night or what but it was only about 9:00pm but the doctor on call at the time seemed a little of his element. I realize that I didn’t know what bit me but he just seemed lost, dazed and confused. I would def not recommend this place for a real emergency.

Arrived about 5:30 pm on a Friday; Marcus took my information and explained they didn’t accept my type of insurance I have 2 insurance plans, so I provided my other insurance and they took my insurance card and ID.
I went back explained I had been in a car accident a few day earlier and that I was having low back pains. The nurses were friendly and attentive, I then saw Dr. Elder and he too was attentive and suggested I have X-​Rays. I had no broken bones, just lumbar strain; I was discharged with a scrip for meds.
Here’s were I was disappointed, at the front desk they kept my ID & insurance card, and upon leaving the front desk person tells me my copay is a WHOOPING $ 250, WHAT! I said well I wish I was told that before I went back to be seen, she explained that they don’t want to be seen as just being about the money! Well, yeah It is about the money for me, I then asked what are my options she said you can pay something today and we can bill the rest, so I gave them $ 25 dollars.
Yes the facility is extremely well maintained and the staff is awesome, but their fees are that of a Hospital ER — actually I would’ve paid less if I had gone directly to the hospital, for that reason alone I would not go back to this facility.

Went to these folks for sharp right side abdominal pain on 3÷22÷15, early that Sunday. It have been going on for several days and a friend of mine who recently had appendicitis said «go see a doctor, now.»
Online check in was easy, they called me back to confirm and I was off. They checked me in quickly and even though I arrived during a shift change for their doc, the off duty doc saw me because the other one was going to be a bit late.
He thoroughly checked me out and said that I was indeed presenting as appendicitis. He then referred me to the ER over at Methodist Richardson Medical Center. They really appeared concerned and due to a problem in my medical history, they couldn’t scan me there to make sure what I had.
They also said they would not bill me for any of their time since they only did a cursory exam.
BTW, they are clear on their billing policies on their website and in person. This place is outfitted like an ER. I can understand the confusion about Urgent Care vs. Private ERs, But think of it this way, Urgent care is making an appointment with a doctor whereas Private ERs triage things that need immediate attention and cannot wait.

I took my toddler because she got a deep cut on her eyebrow.
Upon arriving they asked me to fill out paperwork and they were very clear that this would be an Emergency copay and not an urgent care. In my situation, this was fine since the alternative was to go to Urgent care where my daughter would get stitches. (traumatic for a toddler).
Before I was even done writing my address on the paperwork, they were calling me to get attended. The staff was nice and the service was good.

Unfortunately, I was displeased with my service from this ER. I am a nurse myself and was highly disappointed from beginning to end. It first started with there online check in. It was between 8−9pm on a Friday night and I attempted to check in online, however, the earliest check in time was 2am or 7am Saturday morning. That didn’t seem to make sense to me so I just went up there and figured I take my chances being that I was in a lot of pain. I arrived and no one was in the waiting area which I thought was a good sign. Wrong! I signed in and started paperwork, someone put me into an exam within 10 mins and then the nurse came in shortly afterwards. The nurse was a nice guy. My vitals were taken and I was asked my height and weight. He got a brief history than informed me of a Dr. Coming to see me shortly. The Dr. got history as well and wanted to do some testing. The Radiology tech came in to do my chest X Ray, but the machine was malfunctioning and one film took almost 20 mins to do. After all my labs were completed, the Dr. Basically told me an unofficial diagnosis and just wanted to treat the symptoms of pain and an imaginary stomach ulcer that I didn’t have. I was given an oral pain medication and sent with a written prescription for the rest of my meds. I went to a 24hr pharmacy to pick up my OTC drug and what I thought was a prescription for my pain meds. The copy that they gave me was null and void. I called asking about my prescription and I was told «I’m sorry, we left the real copy on our copy machine, you’re going to have to come back and get it». In pain, I went back to get it but was too tired to go back to a pharmacy so I did it the next morning. I called my primary care physician to schedule a follow up appointment on Wednesday. On Tuesday I called to get my records for my visit and this was a big pain in the rear. I had to sign a medical release form, no problem, however, their fax wouldn’t come through for some reason and no one bothered to let me know 2 hrs later that they couldn’t go through. Finally I got them to email me the form, after 1 failed email and hours later. I finally faxed them the form back and specifically requested that they email me a copy and fax a copy directly over to my Dr. I finally got an email from a manager, but guess what? The records were of another patient, which I’m pretty sure that’s a legality of some kind. I called once again, extremely frustrated at this point and finally got my records emailed to me. I show up at my appointment on Wednesday afternoon, and guess what now? Yep, no records were anywhere to be found. Hopefully all locations of this ER are not like this one but at this point, I wouldn’t go back unless my life ABSOLUTELY depended on it!

I came to the ER on 11-​01-​2014 I must say that the service I received was absolutely phenomenal although it did take a little longer than I expected :(they were very caring and Dr. William & the staff did everything they could do to make it better, including giving me a call next the day to make sure the boot he had given me worked. He also went ahead and sent in a referral to a local orthopedic doctor so that I wouldn’t have to wait to be seen… Needless to say if I have any more emergencies I will be going back

BEWARE! This place does not consider itself an Urgent Care even though everything about it says Urgent Care. They declare themselves as a freestanding ER and you will be billed ER prices. I found this out with my bills :(
Otherwise…
I came here for a broken hand and they saw me immediately. Dr. Miller was very concerned and thoughtful. Although he did not set my bones after viewing the x-​rays, he did wrap it up and referred me to a hand doctor that he personally called. Unfortunately, that doctor went back on agreeing to see me the next day so I found another that was probably a much better choice. Anyway, although my hand doctor did not agree with how my hand was placed in a sling, I’m sure the opinions of that vary.
The team here was quick, considerate, and kind. I very much appreciated their care when I was in a state of shock, horror, and sadness. Just be sure you clarify your billing stuff. I feel deceived with the ER vs. Urgent Care part, thinking they just named themselves ER to be more receptive to people in need of emergencies. They also bill you through the doctor and then through the facility.

Let me first say that the care and service I received was unquestionably 5 Star. Regrettably, I feel compelled to award 2 Stars due to billing practices.
I have BC/​BS insurance, was expecting a $ 40 Urgent Care co-​pay (as we have always had at Care Now– no other bills sent, ever. keep this in mind) but was asked for $ 100 co-​pay. Thinking this was an error that would be rectified with a refund check in the mail, I was surprised by the bill for almost $ 400 that the insurance didn’t cover.
«Transparency» in health care is the leading Buzz Word these days: VISIBLE signage to this effect would go a long way in helping patients choose to gamble on billing at the full Emergency Room rate or if a longer wait at an Urgent Care center is worth the time/​money spent.
Had I known I would be responsible for $ 500 I would have chosen differently. If this information was in the paper work, I would not have seen it in the time I was allowed to complete it, there were no other patients in the waiting room and I was ushered through with only my HIPAA agreement and Insurance information ready.
In this instance, fast service was a financial drawback for me.
Great service but BUYER, BEWARE!

Very professional from the start the doctor was very knowledgeable. handled my questions and concerns as they arose.

BE VERY VERY CAREFUL. I went to this ER a while back and the receptionist told me that it was «like an urgent care». When I was escorted back to the room, I hooked myself up to the pulse oximeter. The pulse oximeter is the sensor that they clamp on your finger that measures the O2 levels in your body. The nurse came in and swabbed my nose for the flu and left. About five minutes later the doctor came back and told me that I did not have the flu but offered me a prescription for Tamiflu. He told me that I just needed to get rest. That there was nothing wrong with me. I was there for a total of 20 minutes and spoke to the doctor for approximately 45 seconds. I went to the desk to pay and they said they would mail me a bill. About three weeks later I received a bill for $ 1443. They charged me $ 58 for the pulse ox that was clamped onto my finger. It was clamped on my finger. I did not take it with me. It was not disposable. When I called them to get clarification, their billing department was not helpful. They told me that The bill was correct and that I needed to pay it immediately. They also informed me that it had already gone to collections. This was the first bill I had received. When I told them that I was a student and I didn’t have that much money they said «well we can figure it out you can make monthly payments». If this place was «like a urgent care»… It would have been $ 100-​$ 200 max. All I can say is… You will absolutely regret going to this place unless you have insurance. I was not informed that this was going to be extravagantly expensive. They charged me $ 1000 just because I was in an «ER». The reason I went here is because I’m a college student, I cannot afford insurance, and I sure can’t afford a real emergency room. I was under the impression that this was going to be a legit business. … It clearly is not.

All I want to say is Thank You Katie, Joseph, and our emergency Physician John Roland. Very friendly and fast they attended us before we even finished with paperwork, this location is very clean as well. I would pick this place before I ever step in another ER. Thanks again FCER.

On 2÷5÷14 I went to FCER, because I want feeling well and my mom was worried that I could have been coming disk with the flu. The staff was friendly upon walking in and made us feel very comfortable. The were prompt in seeing me and I was in and out without any issues. I was even sent home with a goody bag.

After being told by my doctor that she wanted me to go the ER to get a CT scan to rule out appendicitis, I begrudgingly agreed, still fearful that I would catch something else by waiting in a conventional ER waiting room for hours. Then, I remembered that First Choice had just opened in Mesquite. I am so glad that I went! Friendly and professional staff, first rate equipment, and sterile facility. No worrying about catching something new, they took me even before I could finish filling out the paperwork.
The doctor, Dr. Miller, had a great bedside manner and spoke to both me and my mother as adults who were of the same intelligence he was, not even minding answering the occasional silly question that told him that we were never going to earn our doctorates. I’ve never had a doctor apologize to me for rushing through talking to me or told me that he would be back to answer questions. That is standard procedure in most every other ER I’ve ever been to. Dr. Miller even made good on his word and explained everything and answered everything to where we were comfortable.
Sarah, the RN, was a peach. Truly loved her job and was very good at it. I have very deep veins and am a very hard stick. I always have been and always will be. I’ve had doctors who couldn’t find a good vein on the first try… Sarah did! Bingo, without anymore pain than a slight pinch. Then there is the trick with ‘new school’ blood pressure cuffs. They hate me… probably because of the deep veins, but I digress… the poor techs who were so patient and nice with me when I came in, tried six (yes, I said SIX) different times in six different places to no avail. Sarah knew immediately what the problem was and got a blood pressure on me on her first try. That’s skill.
OK, I will stop gushing… in a minute. Just one thing that I feel needs to be addressed. Janet R. wrote a scathing review without taking into account that billing is not done on site so they cannot tell you what a «cash price» would be. Neither can any other ER, and that’s what First Choice is… an ER, just an ER. It is not where you go when you have a cold and need to see a doctor. There are plenty of other places around for that. You go here when you haven’t been able to keep anything (and I mean even water comes right back up) for 3 days and you have abdominal pain that has you clenching your fists and wanting to die. That’s why I came and I am so glad I chose First Choice over a conventional ER.
May you never need to find out how good they are, but if you do, will not leave disappointed.

Over $ 1,000 bill for strep throat. $ 940.00 of it for being an emergency room. Use at your own risk. Should have known something was wrong when they refused to tell my husband the cash price if our insurance didn’t cover it which they didn’t. Lesson learned

Within the time that we answered a few questions they passed us in. They attended my brother well, checking in on him every so often. My brother was severely dehydrated and we found out he has a virus. The total cost was roughly $ 800 which seems like a lot compared to the other local clinics but this was completely out of pocket, I’m sure it would have been less if he had been under my dad’s health insurance. Everything was amazing, the only thing we didn’t like was the cost, but who ever likes that? haha. If we ever need emergency care again we’ll come back!