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24/7 urgent care center coming to West Des Moines

The urgent care center plans to be up front with patients by listing the cost of services on their website.

WEST DES MOINES, Iowa — More health care options are on the way to the metro in the the form of a 24/7 urgent care center. 

The center is being opened by Exemplar Care, which already has a direct primary care operation, giving clients around-the-clock access to their physicians. 

"You don't always need medical care eight to five Monday through Friday," Dr. Kuehner, the facility's medical director, said.  "You get home from work and you don't feel good, that's when you need to be seen."

Kuehner said having a place that offers continuous access will give community members an option to get the services they need without having to visit the emergency room. 

If people visit the urgent care and not the emergency room, they could save money, and they won't be shocked by how much anything costs. 

"Transparency is very important," Kuehner said. "Health care really is one of those things where you don't really know [how much something will cost] until you get your bill. And we wanted to be able to be clear about that." 

The company said they will list prices on their website. 

Prices for the urgent care will be listed in categories: one for members of their primary care service and one for individuals who will be paying with cash. Insurance will also be accepted.

Depending on if patients have a membership with the primary care operation, their visit will be free and they will only have to pay for services they receive.

The urgent care has 11 patient rooms, one procedure room and one radiology room.

"We wanted [patients] to come here and feel comfortable and feel cared," Kuehner said. 

The site will also have an extended stay area.

"Extended stay is [for] anyone who would need an IV infusion or needs extended watching," Kuehner said. "Monitoring, care beyond ... whether you're a cancer patient, need an infusion or you just need to be monitored for a little bit before you go home."

The urgent care center opens Monday, Feb. 15 at 7 a.m.

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