Your primary care provider should be your first choice for care for acute and chronic illnesses because he or she is familiar with your medical history. Primary care offers comprehensive and continuous care. Visit your primary care provider for:

• High blood pressure
• Diabetes
• Arthritis and joint pain
• Anxiety and depression
• Fatigue
• Unexplained weight loss or gain
• Back pain
• Acid reflux
• Management of all chronic diseases
• Difficulty sleeping
• Constipation
• Disease screenings (cholesterol, diabetes, etc.)
• Physicals or yearly check-ups
• Medication refills

Of course, your primary care provider can always help treat shorter-term non-threatening illnesses including:

• Cold, cough, flu, sinus problems, fever
• Upper respiratory symptoms
• Ear infections
• Urinary symptoms

Outside of regular office hours or extended hours, the same acute, non-life-threatening illnesses or injuries that you may normally go to your primary care provider for can also be treated at an urgent care facility. An urgent care facility can give you immediate medical attention for common illnesses usually without an appointment or long wait.

If you are unable to see your primary care physician or need immediate attention, you can visit an urgent care for:

• Upper respiratory symptoms including, sore throat, ear pain, cold, cough, flu, sinus problems, fever
• Eye irritation or pink eye
• Genito Urinary complaints
• Urinary tract infection
• STD evaluation and testing with confirmatory labs ** as deemed necessary by the evaluation
• Rashes and minor burns
• Sutures for lacerations and injuries requiring casting
• Abscess
• Insect and animal bites
• Sprains, strains and possible closed fractures (no open wound)
• Minor head injury
• Nausea, vomiting and diarrhea
• Mild abdominal pain
• Mild asthma attack
• Migraine or mild headache
• Allergic reactions or allergies
• TB testing
• Tetanus and Flu immunization
• Physicals (sports and pre-employment*)
• Work related injuries
• Medication refills ** as deemed necessary by the evaluation
• Point of care testing for Flu, COVID, RSV, Strep, Mono, Urine Analysis, urine pregnancy test ** as deemed necessary by the evaluation
• Simple X-rays *** check site for availability
• DOT exams ***check site for availability
• NON- LIFETHREATENING situations * if you are experiencing symptoms that may require immediate hospitalization please dial 911 or head to the emergency room.

Urgent care is considered a walk-in clinic since you do not need an appointment to visit an urgent care. Urgent care providers and staff treat patients six months and older on a walk-in basis.

EMERGENCY ROOMS

Treatment for Severe and Life-Threatening Conditions. Visit an emergency room for:

• Severe chest pain
• Severe or uncontrollable bleeding
• Severe asthma attack/difficulty breathing
• Heart palpitations
  
• Severe head trauma
  
• Loss of consciousness or fainting
  
• Broken bone (with deformity or open wound)
  
• Seizures
  
• Severe headache
  
• Weakness, slurred speech or confusion
  
• Major head injuries
  
• Severe allergic reaction
  
• Sudden vision loss or impairment
  
• Severe abdominal pain
  
• Severe dehydration
  
• Severe burns
  
• Severe pain suicidal or homicidal thoughts

If you aren’t sure what to do, online virtual visits are a convenient way to quickly connect with a licensed healthcare provider. MyOchsner virtual visits are used for comprehensive and continuous care with your established provider group. Virtual visits give you 24/7 access to care and can be a good substitute for a brick-and-mortar urgent care when you are extremely contagious, in a hurry, or unable to travel.

Using your smartphone, tablet, or computer, you can speak directly with a doctor who will assess your symptoms and give you a recommendation or if necessary, a prescription for certain conditions. Schedule a virtual visit for:

• Headaches
• Low back pain
• Annual checkups
• Immunizations
• Chronic disease management*
• High blood pressure
• High cholesterol
• High blood sugar
• Nonlife-threatening allergic reactions*
• Minor burns or injuries
• Mild asthma*
• Mild to moderate stomach aches*
• Nonlife-threatening allergic reactions
• Minor burns or injuries
• Mild asthma
• Rashes or other skin irritations*
• Mild to moderate chest pain*

Ochsner Connected Anywhere is used for immediate medical attention for common illnesses and has on-demand virtual visits available 24/7. Ochsner Connected Anywhere can be used for the following:

• Urinary pain*
• Sprains, broken bones and fractures needing x-ray
• Lacerations
• Abscesses
• Coughs, colds and sore throats*
• Earaches*
• Minor burns, sunburns and heat ailments
• Nonlife-threatening allergic reactions*
• Fevers or flu-like symptoms*
• Mild to moderate stomachaches*
• Rashes or other skin irritations*
• Select immunizations