Are you a UTMB employee and need quick access to specialty care?
Starting June 15, the Access 2-Care program now includes specialty care services, guaranteeing employees an appointment within 14 days. Just dial 2-Care (2-2273) while on the Galveston campus or (409) 772-2273 if off campus and make sure to identify yourself as a UTMB employee.
Specialty care services include:
- Gastroenterology
- General Surgery
- Cardiology
- Cardiac and Thoracic Surgery
- Vascular Surgery
- Orthopedics
- Oncology
- Neurology
- Neurosurgery
The initial Access 2-Care program started in September 2014 in response to employee suggestions and to better accommodate immediate care needs, guaranteeing employees a primary care appointment within 24 hours. Since January, more than 776 employees have made appointments through the program.
“Now that we’ve had success with helping employees gain access to primary care, we felt it was time to respond to another issue we are hearing our employee patients discuss, and that’s timely access to specialty care,” said Ann O’Connell, vice president for Ambulatory Operations. “We have commitment from our department chairs and administrators, medical directors and practice managers to make this happen. If we can accelerate access for our own employees, we will learn a lot from that experience and will ultimately be able to improve access for all of our patients.”
When calling for an Access 2-Care appointment, let the representative know you are a UTMB employee to receive the 24-hour or 14-day appointment guarantee. Please note that your wait time may exceed the guaranteed time frame if you want to see a specific physician. In that case, you may either wait to see the requested physician or make an appointment with another physician within the guaranteed time frame.
No referral is required to set up an appointment with a specialist. However, all employees are encouraged to select a primary care provider to be a usual source of care for most issues.