PEDIATRIC CENTERS TO PROVIDE OFF-HOUR CARE

It's a common trial of parenthood. A child wakes at night with an earache and the pediatrician's office is closed. So it's off to the hospital emergency room, where after hours of waiting, a frazzled parent and screaming child are finally seen by a tired medical resident, who probably knows little about pediatric illnesses.

But at least in some places, an alternative is arriving off-hour pediatric centers that deliver immediate care, but only at night and on weekends. Much cheaper than costly emergency rooms and more specialized, the centers are being welcomed by parents who before had nowhere to turn but hospitals. Not surprisingly, emergency-room staffs and insurance companies are glad to see them as well.

Studies show that 90% of pediatric visits to hospital emergency rooms are unnecessary. . . . Such use partly explains the long waits for parents with mildly or moderately sick youngsters. Hospital triage rules and common sense dictate that heart-attack and accident victims get treated before a child's strep throat.

In contrast, the longest wait is usually no more than 15 minutes at one of the clinics, where several pediatricians generally are on duty. . . . Fees for visits run from $35 to $65, compared with emergency-room bills that can start at more than $100.

While the clinics seem ideal, there are a few drawbacks. For one, they aren't open all night, but rather from late afternoon until midnight or so—although clinics say most night cases occur in that period.

Staffing can also pose a problem . . . because it isn't easy finding quality pediatricians, let alone ones who will work evenings and weekends. These centers also need a certain population density to thrive, so their growth is likely to be limited to burgeoning metropolitan areas.