(MCT) — CHICAGO — The first time Erol Uner went to the emergency room recently, he knew something was seriously wrong because fluid retention had caused his legs to double in size. He was seen right away and wound up being hospitalized for two weeks for treatment of congestive heart failure and kidney disease.

People who arrive in the ER with less pressing issues often have to wait for care, sometimes for hours. But when a minor complication sent Uner back to the emergency room at St. Alexius Medical Center in Hoffman Estates, Ill., he was able to make an appointment online and practically waltz right in.