Southwest Austin urgent care options continue to expand
For someone ill or injured and in need of urgent medical care, there is often little time to find out which care facility is best for treating the problem. From clinics in grocery store pharmacies to the emergency room, medical services for nearly every need are available around the clock in Southwest Austin.
Clinical assistant Wendy Worden prepares a patient’s chart for Dr. Scott Meyer in the Seton Southwest emergency room.
Shots while you shop
For routine medical maintenance ranging from flu shots to strep throat treatment, some grocery stores and pharmacies offer in-store clinics. These are usually staffed by nurse practitioners capable of diagnosing and treating common, minor conditions, such as ear infections and skin problems.
“These kinds of clinics can write prescriptions, but the scope of their practice is significantly more limited than that of a family doctor,” said Dr. Dan Stultz, a former physician and the current CEO of the Texas Hospital Association. “They can do physical exams, flu shots and light medical stuff, but if somebody walks in having a heart attack, I don’t know that they’re equipped to deal with that.”
Minneapolis-based MinuteClinic has a deal with CVS Pharmacy with several locations throughout the Austin area offering treatment for everything from bladder infections to bronchitis. The majority of treatments cost around $60. Most major insurers are accepted, but cash, checks and credit cards are accepted for patients preferring to pay out of pocket.
Houston-based RediClinic has a similar deal with H-E-B that allows the clinic to operate within many of the grocer’s locations in north Austin and Round Rock. Some H-E-B Pharmacies in Southwest Austin also offer more basic clinics for flu shots, cholesterol checks and blood pressure screenings.
Walk-in clinics and the ER
Walk-in urgent care clinics allow most patients to consult with an on-staff physician during each visit and often can handle slightly more serious medical conditions that require immediate attention but do not necessitate a trip to the emergency room.
Dr. Anne Stefani is a physician and owner of Texas Urgent Care — a walk-in clinic at 2100 W. William Cannon Drive, Ste. C. Stefani said if unsure about whether to visit urgent care or the emergency room, call and ask.
“What I usually try to tell patients is that if they have any concern, they can call us and we can give them advice,” she said. “We tend to discourage use of the internet because we get a lot of folks coming in with false information, but certainly a qualified nursing assistant or physician could give you some advice.”
Stefani said walk-in clinics offer some advantages over primary care physicians or emergency rooms.
“You’re going to get a physician, just as you would at the ER, but the expense will probably be less and you’ll probably get in and out more quickly,” Stefani said.
Many medical experts agree that walk-in clinics fill a need, especially in after-hours situations, but they warn that these clinics should not take the place of primary physicians, who, unlike clinics, have access to a patient’s full medical history. Nor should clinics take the place of an emergency room visit, if necessary.
“It’s so hard to tell sometimes, without examining a patient,” said Dr. Mark Ackrell, emergency department director at St. David’s South Austin Hospital. “There’s no real hard and fast rule.”
Though patients may use ask-a-nurse lines for basic medical advice, by law physicians in the ER are not allowed to give out medical advice over the phone.
“Basically what they will tell you if you call is, ‘If you think you need to be seen, please come in,’” Ackrell said.
But Ackrell said there are a variety of conditions that may warrant a trip to the ER: illness that requires blood work, e.g. nausea or vomiting; shortness of breath in those with a history of heart problems and serious dislocations and fractures.
While it may be impossible to know where to go for sure without seeing a physician, Keith Karpinski, clinical manager at Seton Southwest Hospital, said the ER is a one-stop shop for medical problems, whether that be a runny nose or a loss of consciousness.
“Obviously those costs are going to be higher than a clinic,” he said. “But we’re tasked with being able to catch anything that walks through the door and having services to handle anything.”
The ER is also always open, something good to keep in mind during the holidays, Karpinski said.
“We are here 24 hours a day, and sometimes we are the easiest access to care,” he said. “And we see it all.”
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