Advanced Urgent Care

We provide seamless, convenient care for your non-life-threatening health concerns

Urgent health issues can affect anyone at any time. That’s why our Advanced Urgent Care centers provide care for a broad range of clinical conditions, from simple diagnoses to more acute concerns that require monitoring for up to 24 hours and advanced testing. For situations that are urgent, but not life-threatening — like broken bones, flu symptoms, abdominal pain, asthma attacks, kidney infections, and first-trimester concerns — our members are covered with our state-of-the-art Advanced Urgent Care centers, in addition to our other Urgent Care clinics.¹

Our Advanced Urgent Care centers offer 24/7 access to acute care services that far exceed the care provided in standard community urgent care clinics. Located throughout the Mid-Atlantic region, the centers are staffed with board-certified emergency medicine, family medicine, and internal medicine physicians supported by a skilled nursing staff and technicians with access to advanced diagnostics. They’ll see that you get the tests you need so you can begin treatment quickly and efficiently.

We also offer Urgent Care clinics that are open typically until 11 p.m. on weekdays and during the day on weekends. Like the Advanced Urgent Care centers, these clinics provide pharmacy and some laboratory and radiology services. The clinics are part of our integrated network, giving physicians ready access to your digital health record.

This saves time — because when you have an urgent health need, we know that every minute counts.

Meet Louis Oliver, a throat cancer survivor, and hear how he approached his cancer treatment.

What is the Kaiser Permanente difference?

Better access

We make it easy and convenient for you to get the care you need in urgent situations.

Better treatment

Cardiac care requires an individualized approach to a wide range of conditions related to your heart and arteries. That’s why we have specialists available to manage complex conditions using advanced methods, treatments, and prescription drugs.

Better care coordination

Our Advanced Urgent Care centers and Urgent Care clinics can help you coordinate follow-up care and support your preventive care needs.

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Board-certified emergency medicine, family medicine, and internal medicine physicians working in our Advanced Urgent Care centers or Urgent Care clinics

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Adult visits to our Advanced Urgent Care centers or Urgent Care clinics in 2022

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Pediatric visits to our Advanced Urgent Care centers or Urgent Care clinics in 2022

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#% of patients discharged to home in 2022

35+

Kaiser Permanente Medical centers in the Mid-Atlantic region

Better access

We make it easy and convenient for you to get the care you need in an urgent situation.

Expertly guided care

We want to make it easy for you to manage your family’s health. Whether it’s the middle of the afternoon or the middle of the night, our 24/7 advice line provides medical advice and directs you to appropriate care, like Advanced Urgent Care, a video visit,² or a same-day or next-day appointment. And it’s all at no extra cost to members. If you’re not sure what kind of care you need, just call 800-777-7904 (TTY 711) and a nurse will help.

Video visits — a convenient care option

For some situations, you may not need in-person urgent care. Instead, you can have a video visit² with a physician trained in emergency or family medicine. Video visits are available for those 18 years and older with certain medical conditions; our advice nurses will help determine if your situation is right for a video visit. For these visits, you’ll need a computer or mobile device with a built-in camera and microphone.

Easy access to comprehensive care

With 7 Advanced Urgent Care centers open 24/7 and 8 Urgent Care clinics throughout our region,³ you have access to quality medical care for acute and preventive needs in a convenient, friendly environment. In most cases, we can provide all the treatment you need under one roof, from diagnostic testing to treatment, prescriptions, observation services, and preventive care. If you need to be hospitalized, we’ll coordinate with one of our premier hospitals to transfer your care, and we’ll continue your treatment until your transfer is complete.

Shorter wait times for urgent care

Our members usually experience shorter wait times in our Advanced Urgent Care centers or Urgent Care clinics than in hospital emergency rooms. The faster you’re seen, the sooner you can begin to receive the treatment you need.

Better treatment

In our integrated system, our physicians can access important information about your medical background, so they can tailor treatment to your specific health needs.

Personalized care

Through digital health records, specialists at our Advanced Urgent Care centers and Urgent Care clinics can see members’ medical histories, medications, surgeries, diagnostic results (including laboratory and radiology testing), and any notes from their primary care or specialty care physicians. This information can be essential when trying to diagnose an urgent medical need and get treatment underway. Unlike in a hospital emergency room, access to this detailed information lets us tailor treatment more effectively and provide or schedule important follow-up care. (For example, if a member breaks a bone, we can arrange for them to see an orthopedic surgeon or orthopedic specialist the next day.)

Advanced testing and diagnostics

Our Advanced Urgent Care centers provide services that far exceed those available in typical urgent care clinics. These services include advanced imaging (CT scans, MRIs, and ultrasounds), quick-turnaround lab tests, and medical procedures, such as asthma treatment, laceration (cut) repair or sutures, and fracture (broken bone) management. To access these services in other health systems, you’d need to go to a hospital emergency room.

Access to specialists

Physicians in our Advanced Urgent Care centers work closely with our other specialists to diagnose conditions. When members come to an Advanced Urgent Care center, the treating physician can contact one of our specialists who can review the members’ digital health records and recommend treatment. Often specialists are available to treat members within the Advanced Urgent Care center. And during the urgent care visit, we can make appointments with specialists for any needed follow-up care.

24/7 observation capabilities

Our Advanced Urgent Care centers have 24/7 observation capabilities that can prevent hospitalization. Some common reasons that a person may need observation are chest pain, evaluation for a mild stroke, fluid overload, skin or kidney infections that need IV antibiotics, a COPD or asthma attack that needs extended treatment, or pneumonia. Also, when longer observation stays or specialized procedures are needed — such as for an interventional radiology procedure — this can be coordinated from an Advanced Urgent Care center. Additionally, for members who need continuous monitoring and additional studies of the heart, care can often be coordinated with a cardiologist during an observation stay.

Meet Louis Oliver, a throat cancer survivor, and hear how he approached his cancer treatment.

Better care coordination

Our Advanced Urgent Care centers and Urgent Care clinics can help you coordinate follow-up care and support your preventive care needs.

Coordinated follow-up care

After members are treated at our Advanced Urgent Care centers or Urgent Care clinics, they continue to get the follow-up care they need. When they need to see a specialist, we can schedule an appointment before they even leave the center or clinic. Specialists also work closely with members’ primary care doctors to provide continuity of care and prompt follow-ups. In contrast, outside of Kaiser Permanente, when members visit an emergency department, it’s their responsibility to coordinate any follow-up care with their primary care physician or specialist. Within Kaiser Permanente, we handle all of this for our members.

Convenient access to preventive care

Preventive care is designed to help you stay healthy or detect problems early, increasing the likelihood that it can be cured or minimized. And we’re committed to making it easy for you to get you the care you need. During a visit to an Advanced Urgent Care center or Urgent Care clinic, our physicians and staff can check your digital health record to find out what immunizations or tests — such as a flu shot, mammogram, pap test, or colon cancer screening — you’re due to receive. As a result, while we’re treating your urgent acute condition, we can also make or help coordinate an appointment for you to receive preventive care to help maintain your overall health and well-being.

Since the introduction of our Advanced Urgent Care centers in 2011, we’ve seen a dramatic decline in unnecessary emergency department visits.

Top medical concerns we treat in our Advanced Urgent Care centers and Urgent Care clinics:

Abdominal pain
Allergic reaction
Asthma/COPD
Back pain
Broken bones (injury/pain/swelling/weakness)
Chest pain
Cough/cold/fever/flu-like symptoms
Dizziness/ear complaint
Headache
High blood sugar
Irregular/abnormal heartbeat
Kidney stones
Oral/dental complaint
Shortness of breath
Sore throat
Skin infection
Urinary complaint
Vaginal complaint
Vomiting/diarrhea

¹ If you or a family member have a life-threatening emergency, call 911 or go to a hospital emergency room immediately.

² When appropriate and available. If you travel out of state, phone appointments and video visits may not be available due to state laws that may prevent doctors and health care providers from providing care across state lines. Laws differ by state.

³ Kaiser Permanente reserves the right to change the hours of operations at our Urgent Care locations. Please visit kp.org/urgentcare/mas for the most up-to-date information.

⁴ Premier hospitals are independently owned and operated hospitals, and they contract with Kaiser Foundation Hospitals. The continued availability and/or participation of any facility cannot be guaranteed. For the most current information, visit kp.org/premierhospitals.