New ExpressCare Clinic Opens at NYC Health Plus Hospitals/Harlem

NEW YORK, Feb. 15 -- The New York Health and Hospitals issued the following news release:

NYC Health + Hospitals announced the opening of an ExpressCare Clinic at NYC Health + Hospitals/Harlem. The clinic will be the public health system's second location in Manhattan, building on the system's vision to transform care for New Yorkers in all five boroughs. Providing faster access to medical care for patients with non-life-threatening conditions, the new clinic will be open seven days a week, operating from 3:30pm to midnight. The clinic will offer walk-in services for conditions -- such as colds, flu, sprains, skin rashes, minor cuts and lacerations, and certain types of infections. Patients who typically use the emergency department for these conditions will find shorter wait times and faster service at the ExpressCare clinic.

The ExpressCare clinic will temporarily share space within the hospital's pediatric clinic inside of the Ronald H. Brown Pavilion until the new, permanent space is constructed. In the coming months, NYC Health + Hospitals/Harlem's will reconfigure its old emergency department to create a permanent space for the ExpressCare clinic using Medicaid's Delivery System Reform Incentive Payment (DSRIP) funds. The location is expected to be completed in December 2020.

"As a level one Trauma Center, the number of patients who utilize our emergency department in lieu of primary care services is striking. The ExpressCare clinic will provide an alternate care setting for patients in need of a lower level of care," said Ebone M. Carrington, CEO, NYC Health + Hospitals/Harlem. "Unlike other community-based urgent care settings, our treating providers will know our patients' medical histories. I am excited that the greater Harlem community will now have continuity of care in a more expedient setting."

Shifting patients with non-life-threatening conditions to the ExpressCare clinic will shorten their wait times. The clinic will also differ from stand-alone urgent care centers by offering a closer connection to primary care providers. The emergency-trained physicians at the ExpressCare clinic will help ensure patients receive the appropriate follow-up care by connecting them with primary care doctors in the NYC Health + Hospitals system.

Patients visiting the ExpressCare at NYC Health + Hospitals/Harlem who are assessed as having serious medical conditions that cannot be treated in an urgent care setting or who may require hospital admission will be fast-tracked to the Emergency Department for further treatment.

NYC Health + Hospitals worked with OneCity Health, the State's largest Performing Provider System, part of the Medicaid Delivery System Reform Incentive Payment (DSRIP) program, to create the clinical model for the ExpressCare clinics, which are designed to support the DSRIP goal to reduce avoidable hospital use by 25 percent by 2020.

"Far too many New Yorkers rely on emergency rooms for non-life threatening, preventative care because they do not have access to walk-in clinics. As a result, people put off seeking care or they'll wait in an emergency room, straining its resources. But this will no longer be the case as NYC Health + Hospitals (H+H) continues its expansion of ExpressCare clinics here at Harlem. Congratulations to H+H for continuing to provide New Yorkers with efficient and comprehensive care 7 days a week," said Councilwoman Carlina Rivera, Chair of the Council's Committee on Hospitals.

ExpressCare clinics will accept most insurance plans; walk-ins are welcome and no appointments are necessary. Patients should bring photo identification and an insurance card to the clinic. Patients without insurance will be directed to the health system's reduced fee-scale payment program or receive assistance with insurance enrollment if eligible.

NYC Health + Hospitals plans to expand the ExpressCare model to other public health system facilities in the coming months. Thus far, ExpressCare locations include NYC Health + Hospitals/ Lincoln, NYC Health + Hospitals/Elmhurst, NYC Health + Hospitals/Queens, NYC Health

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About NYC Health + Hospitals/Harlem

NYC Health + Hospitals/Harlem provides a wide range of medical, surgical, diagnostic, therapeutic, and family support services to the residents of Central Harlem, West Harlem, Washington Heights and Inwood. The Department of Pediatric Emergency Medicine at NYC Health + Hospitals/Harlem provides outstanding emergency care for ill and injured infants, children and adolescents, 24 hours a day, seven days a week. The dedicated pediatric emergency space, separate from the adult emergency department, cares for over 16,500 pediatric patients annually. Established in 1887, the Hospital has been providing health care services to the community for 131 years.

About NYC Health + Hospitals

NYC Health + Hospitals is the largest public health care system in the nation, serving more than a million New Yorkers annually in more than 70 patient care locations across the city's five boroughs. A robust network of outpatient, neighborhood-based primary and specialty care centers anchors care coordination with the system's trauma centers, nursing homes, post-acute care centers, home care agency, and MetroPlus health plan--all supported by 11 essential hospitals. Its diverse workforce of more than 42,000 employees is uniquely focused on empowering New Yorkers, without exception, to live the healthiest life possible. For more information, visit www.nychealthandhospitals.org and stay connected on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/NYCHealthSystem or Twitter at @NYCHealthSystem.

About One City Health

OneCity Health is the NYC Health + Hospitals-sponsored Performing Provider System (PPS), formed under the auspices of the New York State Delivery System Reform Incentive Payment (DSRIP) program. Comprising hundreds of healthcare providers, community-based organizations, and health systems, OneCity Health is the largest PPS in New York State.