It’s never been easier to schedule an appointment with a Deaconess doctor or service, because now you can schedule online! I’m excited to tell you more about online scheduling because it’s convenient, helps busy families and people on the go, and improves access to the care you need--when and where you need it.
Benefits of Scheduling Online
There are many advantages and benefits of online scheduling, including:
- You can make your appointment at a time convenient for you. That means you can sit down and look at your schedule, and then look at available openings, and choose the location and time that works best for your schedule.
- You don’t have to wait for the provider’s office to be open. If you’re up at 3 AM and remember you need to schedule an appointment, you can do so.
- No phone calls to make. You also won’t be on hold, or be on the phone going through a list of appointment options.
- If you later learn that the appointment you chose won’t work out after all, you can go back online and move your appointment.
- It’s a way that Deaconess is making health care convenient for busy people. You can schedule appointments for taking care of yourself and your family, when and where you choose.
Types of Care/Appointments
There are multiple types of appointments and services that now offer online scheduling. They are detailed in sections below.
Immediate Care Appointments
Make an appointment for immediate care when you have an illness or injury that needs to be addressed quickly, but is not so serious that it requires a trip to the emergency room. Your primary care physician probably provides this level of care, but the office may be closed when you need service. Examples include fever, possible strep throat or flu, stitches for minor injuries, etc.
Deaconess offers the most options for Immediate Care in the region and I’ll show you how to choose a service location and make an appointment using the Deaconess website.
Your first step is to take out your smart phone, tablet, or get on the computer and go to
www.deaconess.com/schedulenow.
Once there, click on “
Immediate Care.”
A list of choices will appear: Deaconess Clinic LIVE, Deaconess Clinic EXPRESS, Deaconess Clinic Pediatric Urgent Care and Deaconess Clinic Urgent Care.
If you are unsure which option to choose, click the
Right Care button on the page. Right Care is a tool that you can use to assess your symptoms and find the available options for care. Just choose the problem or symptom you’re experiencing from the list, and the options that treat that condition will be highlighted.
Once you decide the most appropriate level of care for your situation, click on the logo or category name that matches. A list of locations will show up and you can select the facility most convenient to you.
Wait times for all of our Immediate Care options, as well as hours of operation, address and contact phone number are listed. Choose the location you prefer, and then click “Save My Spot.”
You’ll choose an appointment time that works for you, type in some contact information, then stay home or do something else until it’s time to be seen. We’ll even text you an appointment reminder.
Imaging/Radiology Appointments
The next type of appointment you can schedule online is Imaging/Radiology. These appointments include mammograms, diagnostic x-rays, ultrasound, and bone density scans (with more options coming soon).
Again, you’ll start with
www.deaconess.com/schedulenow. From there, choose
Imaging/Radiology.
Select the test you need to schedule, and follow the steps from there.
Let’s use
Screening Mammogram as an example. The page for making an appointment includes a short explanation of the test or exam, including requirements for screening mammograms. From there, you complete a short form.
After that, you’ll choose the Deaconess Breast Services location that works best for you. Then choose the appointment time that you prefer.
This online scheduling option makes getting a mammogram a little more convenient to your busy life.
Physician appointments
From primary care doctors to specialists,
new patients can schedule an appointment online. (Patients who have already seen that physician should schedule appointments through MyChart…more on that in a bit.)
Again, you’ll start with
www.deaconess.com/schedulenow. To find a new primary care doctor, click the
Primary Care button, and then select the physician type (pediatrics, family medicine or internal medicine) you need.
Once you choose a preference, the options you’ll see will be sorted by “first available appointment.”
On the scheduling page, you can click on each doctor’s name to learn more about him/her and their practice. A new window will open, taking you to that physician’s bio page.
You can schedule the appointment from that new window or from the scheduling page where you started.
Specialist appointments
Currently, nine different specialties offer online scheduling. To find out what specialty doctors and services are available, go back to
www.deaconess.com/schedulenow and choose
Specialty Care.
From there, you’ll see a list of Deaconess specialty doctors and clinics who welcome online scheduling. For each category of care, you’ll choose the service you need, complete a short form, and then select the appointment location and time that works best for you. We also offer this same option for
Pediatric Specialty Scheduling.
MyChart appointments for current patients
Once you are established with a Deaconess primary care doctor or specialist, you’ll use MyChart for online scheduling of follow-up or other future appointments. MyChart is your personal portal to your health information--anytime, anywhere.
You can use MyChart to:
• Communicate with your doctor and ask non-urgent medical questions
• Request prescription refills and send a refill request for any of your refillable medications.
• See test results! No more waiting for a phone call or letter—see your results and doctor’s comments within days.
• Manage appointments, including scheduling your next appointment, or viewing details of past or upcoming appointments.
You can always access MyChart through the MyChart app (available in your app store), at
www.viewmychart.com, or on
deaconess.com.
I hope these instructions are helpful and allow you to use online appointment scheduling to make healthcare more convenient. More options are coming soon, so whenever you need care, be sure to visit
www.deaconess.com/schedule-now FIRST!