With summer fully upon us, NCH is asking potential patients to consider Mass General Brigham’s new and convenient Virtual Urgent Care on Demand rather than going to the Emergency Department for certain injuries and illnesses. These include symptoms such as cough, cold, ear/eye infections, rashes, tick bites, muscle/back pain, and other minor injuries. With significantly more people on the island, the emergency department can get overwhelmed, resulting in long wait times for patients with minor injuries or ailments.
Patient information from these appointments will remain within the MGB patient portal, accessible to care teams at Nantucket Cottage Hospital. Amy Lee, President of NCH, remarked “Virtual Urgent Care is a great option for our community. It allows our patients with minor ailments convenient access to care without having to travel. Virtual Urgent Care is available from 7 a.m. to 11 p.m. seven days a week. This option is another great example of the value of our affiliation with Mass General Brigham.”
Here are some advantages of Virtual Urgent Care on Demand:
- Virtual Urgent Care services are available seven days a week, 365 days a year, from 7 a.m. to 11 p.m.
- Wait times are typically less than 15 min.
- Virtual Urgent Care costs significantly less than going to the ED.
- Patients can access the digital platform from a laptop, smartphone, or tablet.
- Virtual Urgent Care is open to all patients ages 3 and up, even if they haven’t seen a Mass General Brigham provider before.
- Patients who are new to Mass General Brigham may access on-demand care without an appointment.
- Existing patients have two options to access Virtual Urgent Care: they can also access on-demand care without an appointment, or they can use their Patient Gateway account to schedule an appointment.
- Patients need to be in Massachusetts or New Hampshire at the time of the appointment, but don’t need to be residents of either state.
- Those under 18 must be accompanied by an adult.
- Virtual Urgent Care also provides patients an option to seek care if they can’t get in to see their PCP or after office hours.
- Virtual Urgent Care can serve as a bridge for time-sensitive needs while the patient waits to establish with a new PCP or other provider.
Of course, in an emergency people should call 911 or go to the Emergency Department. For additional information about the Mass General Brigham program, visit Virtual Urgent Care | Mass General Brigham.
Nantucket Cottage Hospital (nantuckethospital.org) is a not-for-profit hospital located in Nantucket, Massachusetts with a history of more than 100 years of compassionate care and innovation. A member of the Mass General Brigham system, Nantucket Cottage is the only hospital on the island, which it has served since 1911. The hospital is resolute in its mission of working together with our community to achieve whole-person wellness through health and related services. Our vision is an island community that enjoys physical, mental, emotional, & spiritual wellness.