Courtesy of WellNow Urgent Care
By Susan Elise Campbell
WellNow Urgent Care is one of the fastest-growing providers of urgent medical care, telehealth and occupational medicine services in the United States. With a new location that opened April 10 at 920 Lake George Road in Queensbury, medical care and diagnostic services are now available seven days a week to patients in the North Country, said Beth Pagan, WellNow’s director of market operations for eastern New York.
“WellNow provides a wide array of diagnostics, including X-rays, EKGs, complete metabolic panels, and much more,” said Pagan.
There are nearly 80 WellNow locations in the state and 200 in the country offering urgent, not emergency, care.
“Our centers offer more services than the average primary care physician so that patients can be treated right away without having to go to a traditional emergency room, where they might face long wait times and an expensive bill,” she said.
While WellNow can take an X-ray and suture an injury, for example, MRIs and CT scans are not offered, so some conditions would require travel to the nearest hospital.
“We believe that concerns about the costs of treatment shouldn’t stand in the way of quality healthcare,” Pagan said. “So we work with all insurance plans and also offer patients the option to pay their bill in installments with no interest or processing fees.”
To ensure that patients always have access to care, most WellNow locations are open seven days a week from 8:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m., far exceeding the hours at primary care physician’s office. These are the hours in the new Queensbury location, which was selected for its easy proximity to businesses, shopping and transportation, she said.
“Our patients can get walk-in service close to where they live and work,” said Pagan. “When someone isn’t feeling well and needs immediate attention, the last thing they want to do is drive a long distance for care.”
Urgent care centers provide a vital service to the community, particularly in areas where primary care providers are booked solid or are non-existent, she said. In effect, WellNow centers bridge the gap between primary care and emergency care, according to Pagan
WellNow offers treatment for non-life-threatening injuries and illnesses, such as flu, COVID-19 and RSV, plus occupational medicine services. These include Worker’s Compensation assistance, pre-employment physicals, drug and alcohol testing, said Pagan.
Patients can also reach a WellNow provider 24/7 by using the Virtual Care platform on their cellphones or personal computers.
“A patient can speak with a provider anytime, anywhere,” Pagan said .
WellNow was established in 2012 as an independent healthcare practice and accepts many insurances, Medicare and Medicaid.
“WellNow’s Queensbury center is not affiliated with any local health systems,” said Pagan. “However, we do partner with St. Peter’s Health Partners at several other locations in the Capital Region.”
More information about locations and services can be found at www.WellNow.com.