New ExpressCare Clinic Opens at NYC Health + Hospitals/Metropolitan
Clinic will provide patients with fast access to walk-in, urgent care seven days a week
Feb 03, 2020
NYC Health + Hospitals today announced the opening of an ExpressCare Clinic at NYC Health + Hospitals/Metropolitan. The clinic will be the public health system’s first location in Manhattan, building on the system’s vision to transform care for New Yorkers in all five boroughs. Providing faster access to medical care for patients with non-life-threatening conditions, the new clinic will be open seven days a week operating from 6pm to midnight on weekdays, and from 10am to midnight on weekends and holidays. The clinic will offer walk-in services for conditions — such as colds, flu, sprains, skin rashes, minor cuts and lacerations, and certain types of infections. Patients who typically use the emergency department for these conditions will find shorter wait times and faster service at the ExpressCare clinic.
NYC Council Member Diana Ayala helped to secure $1.6M in mayoral funds for the construction of the new urgent care center at NYC Health + Hospitals/Metropolitan. In the meantime, the ExpressCare clinic will temporarily share space with the hospital’s Geriatric Outpatient Services until the new, permanent space is built.
“We are excited to add a new health care option for the community we serve in East Harlem and upper Manhattan,” said Alina Moran, CEO, NYC Health + Hospitals/Metropolitan. “ExpressCare will help reduce wait times in our emergency department and provide immediate medical attention for patients in need of urgent care. The new service expands our ability to connect patients to high-quality care when they need it.”
“The new ExpressCare Clinic at Metropolitan Hospital will help ensure patients are receiving high-quality medical care promptly and close to home,” said Council Member Diana Ayala. “I am proud to have worked with the Mayor’s Office to secure additional funding for the clinic’s future space, and in the interim, I look forward to welcoming this vital resource to the community.”
Shifting patients with non-life-threatening conditions to the ExpressCare clinic will shorten their wait times. The clinic will also differ from stand-alone urgent care centers by offering a closer connection to primary care providers. The emergency-trained physicians at the ExpressCare clinic will help ensure patients receive the appropriate follow-up care by connecting them with primary care doctors in the NYC Health + Hospitals system.
Patients visiting the ExpressCare at NYC Health + Hospitals/Metropolitan who are assessed as having serious medical conditions that cannot be treated in an urgent care setting or who may require hospital admission will be fast-tracked to the Emergency Department for further treatment.
NYC Health + Hospitals worked with OneCity Health, the State’s largest Performing Provider System, part of the Medicaid Delivery System Reform Incentive Payment (DSRIP) program, to create the clinical model for the ExpressCare clinics, which are designed to support the DSRIP goal to reduce avoidable hospital use by 25 percent by 2020.
“Metropolitan Hospital provides excellent care to our community. It is exciting that they will now be able to expand their care with their new ExpressCare Clinic,” said Assembly Member Robert Rodriguez. “Thank you to NYC Health + Hospitals and Metropolitan Hospital for their commitment to high quality care.”
“Time is vital to New Yorkers—and the ExpressCare clinic will be a game-changer for countless time-strapped Manhattanites,” said Manhattan Borough President Gale A. Brewer. “I’m thrilled to see NYC Health + Hospitals/Metropolitan embracing new models of healthcare to better serve our communities.”
“I want to congratulate NYC Health + Hospitals/Metropolitan on the opening of their new ExpressCare Clinic, which will serve countless Manhattanites with effective, fast walk-in medical services, while alleviating crowding at some of our most important emergency rooms. I look forward to working with NYC Health + Hospitals to continue the expansion of new and accessible outpatient community facilities,” said Councilwoman Carlina Rivera, Chair of the Council’s Committee on Hospitals.
“A huge part of being healthy is having access to healthcare. The opening of this new ExpressCare Clinic at NYC Health + Hospitals/Metropolitan is a huge win for our community, said Council Member Ben Kallos. “We all get sick and need to be able to walk into a clinic and get the help we need, easily and quickly. This clinic will fulfill a need in the community making residents safer and healthier. Thank you to Council Member Diana Ayala for her work to get this funding and commitment to making our communities healthier.”
ExpressCare clinics will accept most insurance plans; walk-ins are welcome and no appointments are necessary. Patients should bring photo identification and an insurance card to the clinic. Patients without insurance will be directed to the health system’s reduced fee-scale payment program or receive assistance with insurance enrollment if eligible.
NYC Health + Hospitals plans to expand the ExpressCare model to other public health system facilities in the coming months. Thus far, ExpressCare locations include NYC Health + Hospitals/Metropolitan, NYC Health + Hospitals/ Lincoln, NYC Health + Hospitals/Elmhurst, and NYC Health + Hospitals/Queens.
To get more information on ExpressCare or or to make an appointment with a primary care physician or other specialists at NYC Health + Hospitals, please call 1-844-NYC-4NYC (1-844-692-4692).