When you’re sick or hurt, you may not have time to drive to a clinic or sit in a waiting room
As an urgent care provider, I understand the importance of meeting patients where they are. When you’re sick or hurt, you may not have time to drive to a clinic or sit in a waiting room. That’s what makes online urgent care such a great service.
Often, patients come to urgent care for conditions that don’t require an in-person physical exam. For example, upper respiratory infections, minor skin conditions – such as rashes and insect bites, urinary tract infections, pinkeye, and minor sports and activity related injuries are typically conditions a provider can help with through a video call. With online urgent care, patients can now save themselves a drive, go online, and get the care they need from home, work, or wherever they are.
I am proud to lead a team that offers these online visits at Saint Alphonsus. The best thing about Online Urgent Care is the convenience. Many of our patients will connect with us before school, during their lunch breaks, or between meetings from their office. Since they are connecting to a provider when it’s convenient for them – they don’t have to plan their day around a doctor’s appointment or sit in a waiting room. We repeatedly hear from parents how thankful they are to not leave the house when they, or their kiddos, are sick.
This service may not be appropriate for certain conditions, but in most cases it’s a great starting point. It allows us to direct the patient to the appropriate level of care – whether that’s an in-person urgent care visit, an appointment with their primary care provider, a referral to a specialist, or in rare cases a trip to the emergency department. Even when we can’t treat patients using a video visit, the initial triage and guidance we provide is still a benefit and value for our patients. And last but not least, online urgent care visits typically have a shorter wait time – who doesn’t love that?
For patients wanting to learn more, including information on conditions we treat, hours we operate, and how it works, please click here www.SaintAlphonsus.org/onlineurgentcare.
