Timely medical appointments are essential to your health and well-being. Primary care and screenings can normally be simply booked upfront so you possibly can keep up to date. But if you or a liked one wants care that’s unplanned however not pressing, you don’t need to wait.
When your physician isn’t accessible for time-sensitive appointments that don’t require an emergency division go to, you’ve gotten choices. Telehealth and different in-network digital choices are nice methods to get the care you want sooner. Your situation may have the ability to be handled at pressing care or by a supplier at one other location inside your care system. We’re right here to show you how to determine which possibility is finest for you.
Same-day doctor’s appointments may be arduous to get
There could also be instances when you find yourself ready to see your physician instantly, however medical doctors have full schedules and don’t typically have same-day appointments accessible.
When you possibly can’t see your physician as shortly as you’d like, you’ve gotten choices for getting care in numerous methods:
- In-network digital and telehealth choices
- Sending an e-visit message to your physician
- Seeing one other supplier in your care group, both on the identical location or a completely different one (however be certain that they’re in your health plan community earlier than you go!)
- Urgent care
These choices are more and more well-liked, even when urgency isn’t a problem. Many individuals discover digital visits or sending a fast message to their physician works higher with a busy schedule.
Telehealth care is handy care
With telehealth care, it’s possible you’ll not have to go away your property and even your sofa, and also you solely want a pc, pill or smartphone. Providers in your care group are sometimes accessible to see you shortly by way of telehealth, significantly should you’re prepared to see somebody who’s not your common clinician or who’s not at your closest location.
E-visits are a smart way to keep in touch along with your physician
If you’re okay ready a day or two for a response and you’ve got a web-based account, an e-visit with your individual physician is a nice possibility. Depending in your want, it’s possible you’ll get charged for a go to, however e-visits are a sooner, extra handy method to ask your care staff a query, comply with up after an appointment or get therapy recommendation. Message your care staff for questions on non-urgent signs, upcoming visits, ongoing situation administration, prescription unwanted effects and renewals, or latest take a look at outcomes.
Telemedicine is fast and environment friendly
Virtuwell is accessible to all sufferers and is an in-network service for many HealthPartners members and gives care for a lot of circumstances. With Virtuwell, you possibly can get a prognosis, therapy plan and prescription (if wanted) from board-certified nurse practitioners. Fill out a web-based questionnaire to describe your signs and add pictures of your situation to be reviewed by a supplier.
Members can register to study all of the digital and telemedicine suppliers of their plan community. Those embrace suppliers that supply face-to-face digital visits with clinicians and might prognosis and deal with a vast number of circumstances 24 hours a day, seven days a week.
CareLine is accessible 24/7 at no further value
When you’re undecided what kind of care you want or how shortly you want it, CareLine might help you get fast recommendation from a nurse. Members and sufferers generally name CareLine about belly ache, fever, bee stings, rashes, hives and tick bites; or kids’s fever, diarrhea and rash. CareLine nurses might help decide subsequent steps for you, together with whether or not or not it’s best to search speedy care.
HealthPartners sufferers ought to name their clinic to speak to a nurse throughout clinic hours. If it’s after hours, please name the CareLine.
CareLine is accessible 24/7 for HealthPartners members for gratis as a part of their health plan.
Consider whether or not you want a go to to pressing care or the emergency room
When you want speedy care, pressing care or the emergency division is finest. Emergency care is commonly the most costly care for plan members, so be certain it’s your best option on your situation. If you don’t actually want emergency care, you’ll probably wait longer, and it’ll value you extra to go to the emergency division than should you go to a extra applicable place for the care you want.
Urgent care is for medical issues that shouldn’t wait however aren’t life threatening. On healthpartners.com or the HealthPartners cell app, HealthPartners members can discover the closest pressing care choices of their health plan community. Patients can even discover wait instances for our 20 pressing care places. If you don’t need to look forward to pressing care if you arrive, contemplate an pressing care digital go to. You can even use Save My Spot, which places you on the pressing care wait checklist earlier than you arrive.
Orthopedic pressing care is a perfect method to be seen shortly for sprains, strains, dislocations and breaks that may’t wait however don’t want emergency care. Most HealthPartners members and sufferers may be seen at any TRIA orthopedic pressing care location. TRIA orthopedic pressing care is open seven days a week, and also you don’t want an appointment. (Note: If you’re in a major care clinic plan, verify to guarantee that TRIA orthopedic pressing care is in your community earlier than you go.)
If you’re not sure whether or not you want emergency or pressing care, HealthPartners members can name CareLine. Nurses can be found 24/7 to show you how to.
Remember: If you want emergency or pressing care, just be sure you use clinics and medical doctors in your health plan community for any follow-up care. Members all the time get essentially the most reasonably priced care once they use in-network suppliers.
You could possibly be seen sooner at one other location or supplier in your care system
Large care programs like HealthPartners have many places and clinicians. Often, you could find somebody to see extra shortly should you’re prepared to journey a little farther or see a clinician that you just haven’t seen earlier than.
Plus, any supplier throughout that care group can entry your medical information. So, your care staff will all the time have your health historical past, drugs and up to date lab outcomes at hand.
For sure sorts of care, HealthPartners sufferers can seek for appointments throughout care places by first accessible. When trying to find major care, colonoscopy or mammogram appointments, you possibly can view choices by the following accessible time, location nearest to you, or physician or clinician.
Before getting care from a new physician or location, all the time be certain to verify that they’re in your plan community by checking your plan’s web site or calling Member Services. Otherwise, it might value greater than you count on.
Specialist appointments normally take longer to get, however it can save you time by creating a web-based account or utilizing the HealthPartners cell app. Find and e-book appointments for a lot of sorts of specialists extra shortly if you do it on-line or by way of the app.
If you’re not discovering a specialty appointment quickly sufficient on your wants, Fast Pass is an possibility accessible for a lot of HealthPartners specialties, together with dermatology, allergy/bronchial asthma and behavioral health remedy. Schedule your appointment on-line or by telephone, and we’ll provide the possibility of becoming a member of our Fast Pass-enabled waitlist. If an earlier appointment opening happens along with your supplier when you’re on the checklist, you’ll obtain a textual content with directions on how to settle for the brand new time and date if it really works for you. Keep in thoughts that these gives are shared with you and up to 4 different sufferers on a first come, first served foundation, so act shortly if the supplied time works finest for you.
When you possibly can, plan forward
Waking up with a fever or getting injured on the pickleball court docket should not predictable occasions, however you possibly can plan for preventive care appointments and annual screenings. Online scheduling is a smart way for you to simply e-book appointments for many sorts of care months upfront.
If you want to e-book a follow-up with the identical supplier, contemplate scheduling your subsequent appointment when you’re nonetheless on the clinic. Scheduling instantly will provide you with the very best probability of getting a well timed go to with the physician and clinic you need.
We are right here to assist
When you possibly can’t get in to see your common supplier as shortly as you’d hoped, get the identical nice care and belief just about, on the telephone or from a completely different location. Don’t hesitate to name Member Services, your clinic or CareLine the following time you want care in a hurry or use our digital instruments to discover in-network care close to you.
Discussion about this post