University of Michigan Health Service eliminates walk-in appointments
Beginning this week, University of Michigan students will have to be a little more deliberate about their on-campus health clinic visits.
University Health service is eliminating walk-ins.
“Making (walk-ins) work is very challenging because students … sometimes realize at kind of a late moment that they really ought to get seen because they’re feeling terrible,” UHS Director Robert Winfield told the Daily. “That often happens in the afternoon when we’re already booked, so it just creates this big wait and frustration.”
The Health Service also is going paperless this year.
Read the full Daily article here.
Kellie Woodhouse covers higher education for AnnArbor.com. Reach her at kelliewoodhouse@annarbor.com or 734-623-4602 and follow her on twitter.
Comments
Carl
Tue, May 15, 2012 : 12:53 p.m.
The appointment schedulers were the ones who always pushed the walk in clinic on me. I call there often to make an appt and they tell me they are all booked for like a week or so and my best bet is walk in.
Major
Mon, May 14, 2012 : 9:19 p.m.
Now if they could only eliminate for profit health care!
SonnyDog09
Mon, May 14, 2012 : 8:13 p.m.
Can I ask the headline writer just exactly what a "walk-in appointment" is?
greta
Mon, May 14, 2012 : 7:24 p.m.
I find this to be really disappointing, and will certainly miss this service. I work for UM. Last year, I had to leave work with a UTI. I went directly to walk-in services, was seen almost right away by a nurse who took my vitals, history and symptoms. To say I was in a lot of discomfort is an understatement (I was almost in tears on my way over to UHS), but I took some deep breaths and knew that shortly I'd see a doctor. While I waited, I watched a smooth rotations of students (mostly) get their names called. No nurse, doctor or receptionist there wasted time. The room was totally full, but they kept it moving. I also saw a number of people repeatedly ask when their turn would be. No one in that room was bleeding, vomiting or dying. Miserable, maybe, but not emergency level. Within 30 minutes I saw a doctor. After an exam, she sent me upstairs to the lab. The lab faxed my results down to her in 15 minutes. She wrote me a prescription. I walked across the hall to fill it at the pharmacy. In about 2 hours total, I was home, with antibiotics, drinking water and resting. I was also back at work the next day, rather than running around trying to book an appointment, or driving offsite to a pharmacy. At the time I thought to myself that everyone deserved to have this kind of efficient experience when they aren't feeling well. I have to wonder if the complaints come from the same people who are used to getting everything right away, and have no idea what it's like to have no insurance, to wait all night in an ER or to have to go through the phone book looking for the closest urgent care. Sometimes a reasonable wait is just part of the deal, especially when the care is good.
Sarah
Tue, May 15, 2012 : 10:40 a.m.
See, last time I used walk-in at UHS, I waited 2 hours in that room before I was seen by a nurse. It was, admittedly, early October and I think half of campus had bronchitis, which ground the whole walk-in system to a halt. Prior to these changes, you would go to walk-in, get assigned an appointment, and return at your appointed time... rather than sitting the two + hours that I did. I found that to be significantly more efficient than what they'd offered.
Mallory
Mon, May 14, 2012 : 6:22 p.m.
My husband and I have both recently (in the last month) used UHS. In both cases, we called and were scheduled for an appointment in the afternoon of the next day. If either of us had felt much worse than we did, I think the best option for seeing a doctor would have been to go to an urgent care place.
Ignatz
Mon, May 14, 2012 : 6 p.m.
Would the only other option for those who don't plan their illnesses be to go to the emergency room? I wonder what the typical wait time is between calling for an appointment and being seen.
squidlover
Mon, May 14, 2012 : 4:48 p.m.
With more government regulations on health care, shrinking reimbursement rates, the limiting of the production of medications, the pending Medco-Express Scripts merger...better get used to the idea of health care not adjusting to your schedule or condition. The best thing you can do is being proactive and working with your health care team to optimize your health to reduce the risk of complications should you become ill.