When to Go to an Urgent Care Center
When it comes to urgent matters, they rarely happen at convenient times. When you sprain an ankle or your child has an earache, you want medical care fast.
What do urgent care centers treat?
Our urgent care centers were conceived to provide treatment for the more common, day-to-day illnesses or injuries, for adults and children 18 months and older. Those include:
- ear infections, strep throats, and other upper respiratory infections such as colds and flu, bronchitis and pneumonia
- rashes, skin infections, insect bites or animal bites
- physical injuries such as fractures, sprains or strains, or non-major lacerations
- general problems such as fatigue and aches and pains – things that might not necessarily be “urgent” but still need dedicated attention
- testing symptomatic patients for COVID-19
Making it easy for patients
Lifespan Urgent Care centers are designed to be patient-focused for quicker access to exceptional health care.
- Walk-ins welcome. You have a choice of walking in to be seen without an appointment. We will have a kiosk for you to sign in and enter your information to streamline your visit, thus avoiding delay.
- Online scheduling. You can easily reserve an appointment online that fits your schedule. You can also enter your health information into our system so things can move more quickly when you arrive at the center.
- Prescriptions. If you need a prescription, it can be sent electronically to your pharmacy, to be ready for pick-up.
- Quick tests. Because our focus is on the patient experience, we have “quick tests” that we can do in our center to diagnose several conditions, such as strep throat, mononucleosis, pregnancy and urinary tract infections. We can also collect bloodwork and cultures that can then be sent out to the lab for further investigation when needed.
- X-rays. Our urgent care centers are able to perform X-rays right in your private examination room, so we are able to better diagnose your injury quickly and stabilize accordingly with the appropriate splint.
- Convenient hours. We are open from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. Monday through Friday. On weekends and holidays, we are open from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. We are closed only on Christmas, Thanksgiving and New Year’s Day. That means you can stop in before school or work, or at the end of your day.
Urgent or emergency care
We understand that it is important for everyone to have a primary care provider. Your primary provider can coordinate all your care, which provides a more comprehensive picture of your overall health and medical history. But sometimes your provider may not be able to see you when you need it or may not have fast access to X-rays or blood tests. In that case, an urgent care center like ours can expedite the care you need.
For patients who do not have a primary care provider, we are able to refer them to a physician, whether for a follow-up for their illness or injury or just to initiate that relationship.
It is important to remember that our urgent care center is not for serious injuries or illnesses, such as severe lacerations, heart attacks, strokes, or other life-threatening conditions. For that type of care, the services of an emergency department are much more appropriate and certainly necessary. Patients who may be unstable or have suffered an accident or medical event that could be critical should always go to an emergency department or call 9-1-1.
Part of Lifespan
Visiting Lifespan Urgent Care, a program of Lifespan Physician Group, provides the added benefit of seamless access to your electronic medical record on MyLifespan, as well as to our emergency services, primary care providers, and specialists, if needed. Being under the Lifespan umbrella means we have better access to a wide selection of specialists, so we can arrange whatever follow-up care you may need.
Lifespan’s urgent care centers offer exceptional care in a great environment. It’s one more step we are taking to deliver health with care to our community. Visit us online for more information.
About the Author:
Olivier Gherardi, DO
Dr. Olivier M. Gherardi is the medical director of Lifespan Urgent Care, which is part of Lifespan Physician Group, the largest multispecialty practice in Rhode Island.
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