14 Apr ARC adds services during COVID-19
April 9, 2020
Austin Regional Clinic (ARC) has expanded services to patients to make scheduling and appointments easier and more efficient during the COVID-19 pandemic.
New and expanded services include:
– Saturday pediatric well-checks now available
o Pediatric Well-Checks will be available from 8am-12noon. o Saturdays, April 11, 18, 25, and May 2. o Locations: ARC Quarry Lake (Austin), ARC Buda, ARC Cedar Park, ARC Kelly Lane (Pflugerville), with more locations to be added. o Call the clinic or ARC-INFO (512-272-4636) to schedule or through ARC MyChart or ARCbooknow.com.
o Important for parents to keep up with their child’s development, vaccines, any medical issues. o All clinics’ patient and staff safety protocols are followed.
– Extended hours for drive-up testing
Drive-up testing continues to be offered 8am-5pm weekdays at ARC Far West, ARC South 1st, ARC Cedar Park, ARC Round Rock, and ARC Kyle Plum Creek.
o ARC Far West, ARC Round Rock, and ARC Southwest have extended weekday hours to 5:00-7:00pm, and now offer drive-up testing in After Hours Clinics as well, 8am-5pm Saturday and Sunday. o Patients must have an ARC physician’s lab order before coming to a drive-up site. If someone drives up without first having an initial physician evaluation, they will be offered a telemedicine appointment right then so a physician can determine whether or not a test is indicated.
– Expanded telemedicine visits for new and established patients
o Telemedicine visits are available for all primary and specialty care doctors o 60-70% of ARC visits are now via telemedicine. o 24/7 scheduling at MyChartARC.com or call any ARC clinic and press “1.”
o Cost of a telemedicine visit is covered by insurance at the same rate as an office visit. o Complete information about telemedicine visits here.
– Opened a High Acuity Triage phone line covered completely by physicians to help patients avoid unnecessarily going to the ER.
o Patients call ARC clinics (press 4) or the COVID-19 24/7 Hotline (866-456-4525) and talk to a nurse to help them decide if they should come in to see the doctor. o Depending on their symptoms, patients are set up with an immediate telemedicine visit with a physician, by phone or video visit. o 75% of patients who called triage were able to be treated in the clinic rather than an ER.
o Thus helps keep patients out of the ER and saving beds and care for those who really need it.
ARC continues to stress preventive measures, including social distancing, self-isolation when sick, frequent hand-washing for at least 20 seconds, avoiding anyone who is sick. It is not just about protecting ourselves, it is about protecting the whole community.
For more information, call 512-472-4636 or visit www.austinregionalclinic.com
Austin Regional Clinic (ARC) is a multispecialty medical group committed to providing comprehensive healthcare services throughout the greater Austin area. Founded by three physicians in 1980, it now provides health care to over 525,000 area residents in 28 locations in 12 cities, including both primary and specialty care. ARC is unique to the Austin area because of the widespread locations, convenient services, and quality assurance programs. ARC patients enjoy access to such conveniences as same-day appointments, 24/7 online and phone appointment scheduling, ARC MyChart patient portal, After Hours Clinics, and nursing services through the night. Most ARC offices also offer on-site radiology and lab services and some offices offer specialty programs such as a travel clinic and Healthiness program. For more information, visit www.austinregionalclinic.com.