Prateek Saxena, Market Manager (standing) and Mark Montano, MD, Market Medical Director, in the new CareNow clinic’s triage bay. Patients can check-in online to reduce waiting room time.

Northeast Denver health care options have expanded with the addition of the new CareNow Urgent Care location in Stapleton’s Eastbridge Town Center. Affiliated with HealthONE, the clinic’s office hours are 8am–8pm Monday through Saturday and 8am–5pm on Sundays. Medical Market Director Mark Montano, MD, emphasizes the clinic is “a family-oriented business.” The new clinic is the fifth addition to the CareNow Urgent Care network along the Front Range.

With a physician and three support staff on-site daily, the clinic treats patients of all ages with non-life-threatening illnesses and injuries such as sprains, strains, burns, minor lacerations, sore throats and flu symptoms. Family medicine includes flu shots, vaccinations and youth sports physicals. Laboratory and X-ray facilities are located on-site to diagnose, treat and refer patients quickly and appropriately. Occupational medicine services are also available providing pre-employment screenings and workers’ compensation health care.

To save waiting room time, patients may use online patient check-in and receive notifications about wait and arrival times. CareNow accepts most insurance plans and front desk staff will verify insurance coverage and provide an estimate of costs before treatment is initiated whenever possible. Insurance co-pays are accepted at the time of service. For uninsured patients, payment options can be arranged.

CareNOW, at MLK and Havana opened in October.

Family-friendly movies are shown in the lobby and exam rooms to keep young patients entertained while they wait for care. The clinic has two triage bays for acute injuries and illnesses and 12 exam rooms, including an OB/GYN room with an exam chair like those found in obstetrics and gynecology offices. Montano says rapid screen lab tests can be performed to facilitate timely initiation of treatment and digital X-ray results are read and interpreted by Tele Radiology Specialists in about 20 minutes. Patients are given a copy of their X-rays to take to their referral physician or primary care physician. Should transport to an emergency facility be required, patients are taken to the closest and most appropriate location.

Urgent care clinics have become an increasingly popular form of care offering convenient and quick solutions for a variety of medical needs. Expanded office hours, multiple locations and the ability to be seen quickly brings accessible health care to the community—often when they need it most. Urgent Care differs from a free-standing emergency room that provides the level of care needed in true emergencies. Emergency facilities are licensed in the same way as those found in a hospital ER, open 24 hours per day, seven days a week, and are clearly marked as emergency facilities.

To help clarify confusion about urgent and emergency care options, the Colorado Hospital Association is a participant in a community-wide education campaign called Where for Care. With tools and information designed to help facilitate informed choices, patients are urged to visit http://whereforcare.org.

To learn about CareNow, or for online check-in, visit www.carenow.com. For further guidance about where to seek care, see https://www.carenow.com/about/urgent-care-and-emergency-care.dot. For additional questions, call 720.458.6825.