Hospital-based FastCare Services Discontinued
As of Jan. 2, 2015, ThedaCare Physicians-Shawano will offer an extended-hours walk-in clinic. One day earlier, the FastCare clinic services at Shawano Medical Center will be discontinued. This change will offer extended weeknight and weekend hours and offer treatment for more conditions than currently available through FastCare.
As of Jan. 2, patients may be seen without an appointment by a nurse practitioner or physician assistant at the walk-in clinic at ThedaCare Physicians-Shawano at County B and Hwy. 22. The walk-in clinic’s hours of operation will be significantly extended to Monday-Friday, 8 a.m. to 7 p.m. and Saturdays and Sundays, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.
Traditional ThedaCare Physician-Shawano clinic hours, providers and appointments will be maintained by calling (715) 524-2161; however, the walk-in option will be a new service addition. The walk-in clinic is not for well-visits or the management of chronic conditions; however, sports physicals will be available.
According to Traci Berry, ThedaCare Physicians-Shawano practice administrator, the decision to open a walk-in clinic broadens access and services and helps control patients’ costs. Current FastCare services limit the types of ailments for which a patient can be seen to primarily coughs, colds, allergies, ear infections and the flu. “You can come to our walk-in clinic even if you are not a ThedaCare patient — it’s open to everyone. With longer hours and fewer restrictions on what we are able to treat, it will really help people who need the next level of care and might otherwise end up in the ER.”
The cost to be seen at the walk-in clinic will be the same as a typical clinic appointment but much less than an emergency room visit. The flat fee structure of the FastCare clinic will be discontinued.
For the duration of construction of ThedaCare Medical Center-Shawano, when walk-in clinic and traditional clinic hours overlap, all laboratory, imaging and prescription services will be available at ThedaCare Physicians-Shawano. However, outside of traditional clinic hours, lab services, imaging and Insta-Med prescription dispensing will be accessible only at Shawano Medical Center across town. “If patients need these services and the physicians’ regular clinic is closed, we will carefully coordinate x-rays or lab tests with hospital staff. When the new medical center is complete, and we are together on one campus later in 2015, the process will be entirely streamlined,” said Berry.
According to Dr. Christa Andrews-Fike, physician lead at ThedaCare Physicians-Shawano, one goal of walk-in care is to better connect patients and their families to available community health care resources. “When patients come to walk-in care, we’ll be able to connect them to their primary care providers for follow-up appointments, if necessary. If they need referrals to specialists, we can start that, too,” said Andrews-Fike. “The goal is to get people connected to the resources they need to get better and stay well, for the long term, not just a one-time thing.”
ThedaCare™ is a community health system consisting of seven hospitals: Appleton Medical Center, Theda Clark Medical Center, ThedaCare Medical Center-New London, Shawano Medical Center, and Riverside Medical Center in Waupaca. Community Health Network, which includes Community Memorial Hospital in Berlin, and Wild Rose Memorial Hospital are in the process of affiliating with ThedaCare. ThedaCare also includes ThedaCare Physicians, ThedaCare Behavioral Health, and ThedaCare At Home. ThedaCare is one of the largest employers in Northeast Wisconsin with more than 6,800 employees. Follow us on Facebook and Twitter.
