Skip to main content

First National Urgent Care Franchise Expanding in Response to Demand in Portland

March 5, 2012 – While debate over the nation’s health care system continues, a local ER physician from Good Samaritan and former Intel executive are teaming up to give Portland a new alternative in efficient, affordable patient care. Given the tremendous success at their Lake Oswego location, they are opening the Portland center and plan to expand to other surrounding areas soon.
March 5, 2012

March 5, 2012 – While debate over the nation’s health care system continues, a local ER physician from Good Samaritan and former Intel executive are teaming up to give Portland a new alternative in efficient, affordable patient care. Given the tremendous success at their Lake Oswego location, they are opening the Portland center and plan to expand to other surrounding areas soon. As they redefine the patient experience by eliminating long waits associated with doctor’s office or emergency room visits, Doctors Express, the first ever national urgent care franchise, opens the Portland center on Thursday, March 15th in the Uptown Shopping Center.

Dr. Perretta, a highly respected physician among the local medical community who spent over 17 years in Good Samaritan’s ER department, will deliver affordable, efficient, non-emergency treatment to almost anyone who walks in. He has teamed up with Sankar, a successful business man with extensive operations expertise, to assist him in managing the business. As medical director, Dr. Perretta will treat patients and oversee all of the day-to-day medical operations of the center.  

As a long standing practicing physician of NW Portland, Dr. Perretta has served the medical needs of the community for 17 years.  He has worked in emergency medicine for over 28 years at Good Samaritan Hospital, Kaiser Sunnyside and OHSU. Dr. Perretta spends free time on medical mission trips to Africa and South America with Project Helping Hands.

Doctors Express Portland, which provides both walk-in and appointment-based services, stands out from other urgent cares by offering a consistent, broad range of treatment and services on the spot. Dr. Perretta will diagnose and treat illnesses, dispense medication and have the capabilities to X-ray and set broken bones, all under one roof. The center also has on-site labs that give quick test results for ailments such as mono and strep throat and will provide employment and sports physical exams, drug screenings and work-site inoculations for local employers. Plus, the average wait time to see a Doctors Express physician is only 15 – 20 minutes.

“Urgent care fills a void in the medical system, treating those cases which do not require the resources and expense of a hospital emergency room,” says Dr. Perretta. “Patients want to be treated by experienced physicians without sitting around all day in a waiting room. We believe Doctors Express is an efficient, low-cost health care solution that will improve access to quality medical care. Every aspect of our business will center on patient satisfaction.”

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 reveals the number of primary care physicians is shrinking because nearly half 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

  • All patients are handled in a single visit: initial doctor’s exam, lab work, x-rays, minor surgical procedures and in-house medication dispensing.

  • Every patient is seen by an experienced physician.

  • Services are affordable and most insurance, including Medicare, is accepted.  Those who pay with cash receive a discount on services.  Out-of-pocket costs are a fraction of what you could pay for a trip to an emergency room.

Comments