Find The Right Care
— At the Right Time

A guide to helping you choose the right visit type for the care you need.

When In Doubt, Contact Your Care Team

If your concern is not a life-threatening emergency, contact your ACPNY care team first, because:

• Your Care Team knows you, your medical history, current health conditions, and what medications you take.
• Speaking with your Care Team first may help you avoid an unnecessary trip to Urgent Care or a hospital Emergency Department.
• An ACPNY office or telehealth visit may have significantly lower out-of-pocket costs than visits to either an Urgent Care or Emergency Department.

Regular Visits

When should you schedule an appointment for routine care or a follow-up visit?

For regular and specialty care, it’s important that you start by scheduling an appointment with your Primary Care Provider (PCP). They know your medical history and can help treat illnesses or conditions before they become serious. Typical reasons to schedule a regular visit with a PCP include:

• Annual visits, wellness exams, age-related vaccines
• Routine care and follow-up visits
• Treatment of ongoing conditions, such as diabetes, high blood pressure, asthma, and heart disease

Same-Day/Next-Day & Telehealth Visits

When you’re unexpectedly sick, you can schedule a same-day/next-day visit or telehealth appointment.

Seeing one of our Nurse Practitioners or Physician Assistants who provide same-day/next-day access either in person or via a telehealth visit can mean quicker appointment availability when you need it. Your Primary Care Provider will always know about the visit, and you should consider the care you receive as part of your overall health picture. Reasons to schedule one of these visits include:

• Cold, sore throat, flu symptoms, or ear pain
• Worsening of asthma symptoms
• Stomach pain, nausea, vomiting, or diarrhea
• Rash, pustules, or hives
• Discomfort or burning with urination
• Suspected “pink eye”
• Mild to moderate headache
• Strains and sprains
• COVID symptoms
• Minor injuries

Emergency Room & 911

When you’re experiencing a life-threatening emergency, you should go immediately to the ER or call 911. Symptoms that should be treated as an emergency include:

• Severe chest pain/pressure
• First-time seizures (convulsions) or those lasting longer than five minutes
• Difficulty breathing
• Altered mental status or loss of consciousness
• Heavy or uncontrollable bleeding
• Severe pain that will not stop
• Major broken bones
• Blurred vision, slurred speech, one-sided weakness, or one-side facial droop—all possible signs of stroke

To see all our providers, click here. To see all our office locations, click here. And call 646-680-4227 to contact ACPNY 24/7.