Urgent Care

Sometimes you or your family need to see a doctor right away, but you may not require a trip to the emergency department. If that's the case, you can rely on The University of Kansas Health System's urgent care team, which never requires an appointment. Our advanced urgent care services are provided by experienced physician assistants and advance practice registered nurses. Services include treating injuries and medical conditions, as well as running diagnostic tests.

Our urgent care centers in the Kansas City area, as well as our urgent care virtual visits, allow you to see a provider without an appointment. You should use urgent care for medical problems that require attention, but are not serious enough to require a trip to the emergency room. These medical problems might include respiratory difficulties associated with asthma and allergies, sore throats, coughs, fever, rashes, minor injuries, headaches, vomiting and flu-like symptoms.

Urgent care telehealth video visits are available for residents of Kansas and Missouri. You will be asked to provide current medical and insurance information. Learn more about telehealth and how to prepare for telehealth visits.

You’ll need a MyChart account to have an urgent care video visit. If you don’t have one, you can sign up for one now.

If you are setting up an urgent care video visit for a minor, you will need to create a MyChart account for them or request proxy access to their current account. Email the completed form to mychart@kumc.edu. This process typically takes 2-3 business days. Meanwhile, seek in-person urgent care or call 574-CARE for assistance.

Our care team can treat a variety of health conditions in urgent care video visits. From allergies to coughs to rashes to fevers to sore throats and more, we can use video visits for most of health needs typically seen in an in-person urgent care setting.

We cannot prescribe or refill medications; write notes for employers or for workers compensation; treat broken bones; or perform testing through urgent care video visits. We cannot treat serious conditions, like head injuries or breathing difficulties. If your need is an emergency, call 911 or go to the nearest emergency department.

Urgent care clinics can provide quick access to medical help.

Urgent care facilities seem to be popping up everywhere. These clinics provide quick access to medical help when you need it for conditions that don't warrant a visit to the emergency department.

However, it can be tricky to know when you should visit urgent care instead of taking your troubles to an emergency department or waiting until your primary care physician can see you.

Urgent care clinics also provide services not available in most traditional doctor’s offices, including X-rays, some lab work and tests such as electrocardiograms. Urgent care clinics may also be more convenient because you can walk in without an appointment, in a close location to where you live or work.

• Asthma and allergy symptoms
• Sore throats
• Coughs
• Fevers
• Rashes
• Minor burns
• Headaches
• Vomiting
• Flu-like symptoms
• Simple fractures or sprains
• Cuts that might require stitches

Urgent care visits are not able to handle serious symptoms, like:

• Serious head injury
• Difficulty breathing
• Severe pain
• Loss of consciousness
• Throwing up or coughing up blood
• Bleeding that won't stop
• Severe allergic reactions that include face swelling or itching throat
• Seizures
• Chest pain
• Fevers in babies three months old or younger
• Pregnancy issues
• Any symptoms that make it impossible to walk, breathe or perform other basic functions

These serious symptoms need immediate attention and may indicate life-threatening conditions. In these instances, you need to seek emergency services.

Once you've decided urgent care is your destination, you can do a few things to make the most of your visit.

• Be able to describe your symptoms.
• Provide a list of your current medications and allergies.
• Know your basic medical history.
• Be prepared for a brief wait. Typically, patients are served in the order they arrive, unless it is determined that someone's needs are much more urgent.
• Continue a relationship with your primary care physician.