[chapium]

This is simply not true, at least for the ones I've been to. They typically contain beds, a lab, and their own OR suite. They actually have extra overhead since they are self contained and do not have other departments to lean on. They are located in areas far from their main hospital, essentially extending fast emergency service to those regions. If patients need additional services they are transferred to the main hospital.

[howard941]

This may be the case at the ones you've been to but the ones referred to by the article are all within 5 miles of existing, thriving major hospitals.

[tvjunky]

This is exactly right. I live in a large TX metro area and we're inundated with these "ER in a Box" facilities. We also have at least three major full service hospitals in that 5 mile radius. The majority of these places are just a re-branding, with higher fees, of the older "Doc in box" model. Over and over again we hear stories of people visiting these places for fairly minor things, like stitches or back pain that are slapped with $2000 bills because they are "out of network" or coded as ER visits. If you have a real emergency, they call 911 and have you transported.