Your health is a top priority, but what if your doctor or place of employment needs you to get imaging or laboratory tests and you cannot make an appointment in the middle of the day due to your job, school or other commitments? What if you are feeling sick and need to be tested for COVID-19?
NW Indiana 24/7 ER & Hospital is open 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. With an onsite clinical laboratory and imaging suite, the micro-specialty hospital works to ensure that every patient receives personalized care in a timely fashion. Testing is available round-the-clock, including nights and weekends.
“We are here when other imaging facilities are closed, and open when it is most convenient for you,” said Scott Samlan, MD, FACEP, chief executive officer and physician partner. “We offer a full array of laboratory testing for our outpatient services program available around the clock. We have same-day results for complete blood counts, basic metabolic panels, cardiac panels, complete metabolic panels, D-Dimer (blood clot panel), blood glucose levels, liver function testing, lactate levels, urinalysis, urine pregnancy testing, prothrombin time (PT) and rapid urine drug screen.”
NW Indiana 24/7 ER & Hospital also offers 24/7 laboratory testing with results available the next day. Some of the tests include cholesterol panels, blood cultures (infection), prostate-specific antigen (PSA), testosterone levels, estrogen, progesterone, pregnancy blood test, thyroid panels, uric acid levels, C-reactive protein (quantitative), ABO blood typing and Rh factor.
These and many other laboratory tests are only a fraction of NW Indiana ER & Hospital's testing capabilities.
NW Indiana ER & Hospital staff also offer onsite imaging services including X-rays, MRIs, CT scans and ultrasound.
“Imaging and laboratory services are a pivotal part of effective emergency care and are an important key in providing efficient treatment,” Samlan said. “MRI, X-rays and CT scans are invaluable tools that allow doctors to quickly determine the type, severity, and location of an injury. Ultrasounds and other imaging equipment help to identify blockages, abnormalities, and other health issues.”
For outpatient services, such as imaging or laboratory tests, a physician order is necessary. To initiate the process, the requesting physician needs to fill out an order form and fax it to NW Indiana ER & Hospital via a secure system. Upon receipt and review of an order, the patient services manager reaches out to the physician's office in case of any questions.
NW Indiana's ER & Hospital team then contacts the insurance company to begin the pre-authorization process. Testing is covered by most private insurance companies. Once pre-authorization is confirmed, the staff informs the approval and schedules the test.
“Then you come in, after school, after work or on the weekend, whenever it’s convenient for you, to take your medical test,” Samlan said.
In addition, if an individual feels as if they have been exposed to COVID-19 or is experiencing symptoms related to COVID-19 such as shortness of breath, cough, fever/chills, muscle/body aches, headache and more, emergency COVID-19 evaluations are available with results within 30 minutes.
Emergency COVID-19 evaluations are conducted through the emergency room (ER) by a board-certified ER physician. Emergency room charges apply to those without a written order from a staff physician. All commercial insurances are accepted with a $0 upfront cost. At this time, due to federal law, NW Indiana ER & Hospital is unable to accept Medicare or Medicaid plans for emergency COVID-19 evaluations. For those without insurance, there also are affordable pricing options.
Testing hours are 7:15 a.m. - 10 p.m. daily. Pre-authorization is required for all laboratory outpatient service requests.
“With our dedicated staff and outpatient technology resources, you can be seen, treated and on your way home in minutes instead of hours,” Samlan said. “As an owner and a practicing physician, we care about the kind of experience you will have and pledge a higher-level of personalized care and attention to each patient.”
NW Indiana 24/7 ER & Hospital is located at 7904 Cabela Drive, Hammond. For more information about outpatient services, including imaging and laboratory tests, visit https://www.nwindianaer.com/.
