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COVID-19 UPDATE: If you are experiencing any respiratory symptoms or are concerned that you may have COVID-19, please call your primary care provider for guidance. If you do not have a primary care provider, please call the Cooley Dickinson Community Call Center at 888-554-4234 for assistance.
Anyone seeking care for non-respiratory illness or non-emergency injuries can be seen at the Cooley Dickinson Urgent Care in Amherst. Those who are seeking care for respiratory symptoms should contact their primary care provider.
Safe Care Protocols: What to Expect When You Visit
Read/print/download this information sheet that explains what to expect when you visit us, and how our staff are prepared to welcome you while keeping you safe.
Urgent Care in Amherst
(OPENING JUNE 15th, 2020)
Cooley Dickinson now offers Urgent Care and Occupational Medicine services in a new location at 170 University Drive in Amherst. With daytime, evening and weekend hours, the new urgent care center treats non-life-threatening minor illnesses and injuries; no appointment is necessary.
Cooley Dickinson Urgent Care serves community members ages 18 months and up. Onsite radiology services are available. Lab and imaging services are also available on-site, including blood tests, x-rays and more.
Our experienced caregivers diagnose and treat an array of medical problems, including:
- Cuts/minor lacerations
- Sutures/suture removal
- Minor burns
- Ear and eye infections
- Urinary tract infections
- Rashes
- Tick bites
- Strains/sprains
- Minor fractures
- Incision and drainage of abscesses
- Sports and camp physicals
In addition, Cooley Dickinson Urgent Care also offers routine health care services such as sports and camp physicals and access to Occupational Medicine services, including DOT physicals and drug screening exams. For more information, call 413-461-3530.
Insurance: Cooley Dickinson Health Care is contracted with most major insurance companies. Please check with your carrier to determine whether a referral or preauthorization is required.
Urgent Care Billing at Partners HealthCare
Urgent Care services are available at multiple Partners HealthCare locations.
The billing information below does not apply to Urgent Care services provided at centers named “Partners Urgent Care” located in Boston and surrounding communities.
How Urgent Care Billing May Affect Me
Since the locations listed below are not considered by health insurance plans to be Urgent Care Centers, your co-payment benefits for urgent care services typically will not apply. Instead, your visit to these locations will likely be billed either as a physician office visit or a hospital outpatient visit.
Physician Office Locations
Urgent Care services provided at the following Partners HealthCare locations are typically billed to your health insurance plan as a physician or nurse practitioner office visit:
- Cooley Dickinson Urgent Care, Northampton, MA
- Harbor Medical Associates Urgent Care, South Weymouth, MA
- North Shore Urgent Care, Danvers, MA
- Pentucket Medical ExpressCare Andover, MA • Lawrence, MA
Hospital Outpatient Locations
Urgent Care services provided at the following Partners HealthCare locations are typically billed to your health insurance plan as a hospital outpatient visit:
- Brigham and Women’s Urgent Care Center, Foxborough, MA
- Newton-Wellesley Urgent Care Center—Waltham, Waltham, MA
- Massachusetts General Hospital Chelsea HealthCare Center Urgent Care, Chelsea, MA
- Massachusetts General Hospital Medical Walk-In Unit, Boston, MA
Understanding Whether My Urgent Care Visit Takes Place at a Physician Office or a Hospital Outpatient Center
You can find information about whether your visit is a physician office or hospital outpatient visit in notices in our waiting rooms, on the websites of our hospitals and physician groups, and in this guide.
Payment Responsibility for Urgent Care Services at the Locations Listed in This Guide
For physician office locations:
- Urgent Care services are typically billed as a physician or nurse practitioner visit, and your out-of-pocket costs are usually limited to the co-payment required by your health insurance plan.
- We will request your co-payment when you check in for the visit.
For hospital outpatient locations:
- Your out-of-pocket costs for the physician or nurse practitioner visit are usually limited to the co-payment required by your health insurance plan. We will request your co-payment when you check in for the visit.
- You will also be billed for what is commonly known as a “facility fee” for use of the hospital space, equipment, and support staff.
- Your health insurance plan may apply these hospital fees to your annual deductible, and after you have paid your deductible in full, you may be billed for a co-insurance payment.
- We will send you a bill if there is any unpaid balance after we receive payment for your visit from your health insurance plan.
Referrals and Prior Authorizations
For both physician office visits and hospital outpatient visits, your health insurance plan may require you to get a referral or authorization. In addition, Partners HealthCare providers may be considered “In Network” or “Out of Network” depending on the specifics of your health insurance plan, which could affect the amount you pay.
Billing for Procedures Performed During the Visit
No matter the location, if a procedure is performed during the visit, you may have further out-of-pocket costs for additional physicians’ services and for use of the hospital facilities and staff, even if the procedure was performed in the same exam room as the visit with the physician. Your health insurance plan may apply these additional physician and hospital charges to your annual deductible, and after you have paid your deductible in full, you may be responsible for an additional co-insurance payment.
Laboratory and Imaging Services
If your physician ordered laboratory tests or imaging services (such as X-ray, CT or MRI), you will be billed for these tests by the hospital, clinical laboratory, or imaging center, and you may also be billed for the services of the physicians (usually pathologists and radiologists) who interpreted the test results.
Special Notice for Medicare Patients
If you are a Medicare beneficiary and your visit takes place in a hospital outpatient location, you will be responsible for a Medicare Part B out-of-pocket co-insurance payment of approximately $25 for the hospital facility charge. Procedure charges or other testing could increase your out-of-pocket expense.
Understanding How Much My Visit Will Cost
It is your right to receive an estimate of the cost of your visit in advance of the visit. Please contact Partners Patient Billing Solutions (see below) at least two business days prior to your visit to get an estimate. Please have as many details as possible about the upcoming visit, including the provider name, location, and details of the planned service or procedure.
Please contact the Member Services department of your health insurance plan to verify your coverage and financial responsibility for Urgent Care services provided at any of the locations listed on this page. This phone number is usually located on your insurance card.
If Your Insurance Company Does Not Answer all of Your Questions, Please Contact Partners Patient Billing Solutions:
Mailing Address
Patient Billing Solutions
Partners HealthCare
399 Revolution Drive, Suite 410
Somerville, MA 02145–1462
Phone
(617) 726-3884
Monday–Friday, 8:00 AM to 4:30 PM
