Administrator

Mercy Urgent Care is pleased to announce that it is now a member of the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs contracted network of community providers. This means that eligible Veterans can receive care at Mercy Urgent Care locations without prior authorization from VA.

As part of the federal VA MISSION Act of 2018, which went into effect on June 6, 2019, VA introduced an urgent care benefit that provides eligible Veterans with more choice and greater access to timely, quality care for the treatment of non-life-threatening illnesses and injuries.

“We’re proud that Mercy Urgent Care will now be able to offer in-network care to veterans who have courageously and selflessly served our nation,” said Tim Johnston, Chief Executive Officer of Mercy Urgent Care.

According to VA, urgent care claims can be paid by VA if:
• The veteran is eligible for the benefit. More information about eligibility and the process for using VA benefits at in-network urgent care facilities like Mercy Urgent Care can be found at missionact.va.gov.
• The urgent care provider is part of VA’s contracted network of community providers. All Mercy Urgent Care locations are now part of this network.
• The services are not excluded under the benefit (excluded services include preventive services and dental services). The services must be considered urgent and not routine. Prescription refills, physicals and routine followup would need to be done at the local VA Center.

Unbelievable experience. My nurse and doctor were very friendly. I go to VA and appreciated the doctor (J. Lepkowski, NP) at end of appointment thanking me for my service. Made me smile. VA made good choice partnering with Mercy Urgent Care.”

The most recent data from the U.S. Census Bureau indicate that nearly 24,000 veterans reside in the four counties — Buncombe, Polk, Transylvania and Yancey — that are home to Mercy Urgent Care locations, with the majority of those, nearly 18,000, residing in Buncombe County.

To utilize the urgent care benefit at a Mercy Urgent Care location, eligible veterans should:
• Find and travel to an in-network urgent care provider like Mercy Urgent Care. (Full details for all locations are available at mercyurgentcare.org.)
• State they are using VA benefit at check-in. Urgent Care provider will confirm veteran eligibility.

More information about eligibility can be found at missionact.va.gov.

Resources

Download the VA Veteran Community Care – Urgent Care Fact Sheet

VA-FS_Vet-Urgent-Care

Mercy Urgent Care is Living Wage Certified

Certified for the second year in a row, Mercy Urgent Care is recognized by local nonprofit Just Economics as a certified living wage employer. Mercy Urgent Care is a part of Western North Carolina’s network of approximately 400 living wage employers, making it the largest network in the country.

Vicki Meath, Executive Director of Just Economics says, “Living Wage Certification is an important part of building a more just and sustainable local economy. Living Wage Certification demonstrates a commitment to the community and helps to raise the local wage floor. We are so proud to have Mercy Urgent Care as part of the largest network of Living Wage Certified Employers in the nation.”

Mercy Urgent Care has served over one million patients in the Asheville area since 1985 to provide affordable health-care for non-life threatening illnesses and injuries.

Mercy Urgent Care values its employees and has always incorporated Living Wage principles. Paying a living wage is an important part of ensuring its staff are cared for so that they in turn can care for the patients who seek assistance.

For more information on Just Economics, visit their website.

As the flu is spreading through Western North Carolina, local health officials are asking the young, healthy and those with mild symptoms to visit their nearest urgent care, leaving hospital space and resources for higher-risk patients.

High-risk patients include the very young, the elderly and those suffering from chronic illnesses.

They want to remind folks who aren’t experiencing life-threatening or non-emergency issues to go to urgent care centers instead, because many area hospitals are at capacity. http://wlos.com/news/local/flu-deaths-in-nc-reach-26-wnc-hospitals-flooded-with-patients

As a healthcare provider, Mercy Urgent Care is committed to addressing the opioid crisis by taking proactive steps in the region we serve. Mercy Urgent Care has responded to national, state and local calls for all healthcare providers to assist in addressing the problem and in eliminating the epidemic.

Patients visiting Mercy Urgent Care who are experiencing pain or who are seeking treatment for pain will find that our pain management approach has changed and most patients are not being prescribed or receiving opioids from Mercy Urgent Care.

Opioids such as Hydrocodone, Oxycodone, Morphine and Dilaudid are designed to reduce the intensity of pain signals to the brain. However, they can have very serious risks including addiction, over-sedation, and even death. Addiction has become a serious problem in the United States. Nationally, and in our state, there is an opioid epidemic.

Mercy Urgent Care is:

1. Providing continuing education about safe pain management for prescribers in our organization
2. Avoiding the use of narcotics as a first line treatment of pain, in most cases
3. Using and prescribing more non-opioid treatments:

• Non-opioid oral medication (acetaminophen, anti-inflammatories, and muscle relaxers)
• Use of topical medications such as anti-inflammatory creams and lidocaine patches
• Positioning, splinting and protecting injured limbs and joints
• Exercises or stretches that help reduce the discomfort from musculoskeletal injuries
• Hot or cold applications
• Rest

4. Referring patients for specialized treatments such as physical therapy, massage, and chiropractic care
5. Educating patients on the risks of opioids and the benefits of other pain management strategies

In cases where there is severe pain with concern or risk of complications, or a life-threatening condition, our providers will refer patients to the Emergency Room.

Mercy Urgent Care wishes you a happy and healthy holiday season.

	Brevard	East	Weaverville	South	West
Christmas Eve • 12/24/17	Closed	10am – 4pm	10am – 4pm	10am – 4pm	9am – 5pm
Christmas Day • 12/25/17	Closed	Closed	Closed	Closed	Closed
New Year’s Eve • 12/31/17	Closed	10am – 4pm	10am – 4pm	10am – 4pm	9am – 5pm
New Year’s Day • 1/1/18	9am – 4pm	9am – 5:30pm	9am – 5:30pm	9am – 5:30pm	9am – 5:30pm
Easter Day • 4/1/18	Closed	Closed	Closed	Closed	Closed
All Locations: 828-210-2121

Five urgent care locations in Asheville and Brevard are now ‘Mercy Urgent Care’

(Asheville, NC)— Sisters of Mercy Urgent Care is pleased to announce that effective October 1, 2017 it is now operating under the name Mercy Urgent Care.

“We are simplifying our name, but remain the same compassionate urgent care provider we have always been, with a 100+ year tradition of meeting the healthcare needs of Western North Carolina as a sponsored ministry of the Sisters of Mercy,” says Chief Executive Officer Tim Johnston. “We continue as the only not-for-profit urgent care network in Western North Carolina providing an alternative to hospital emergency rooms for non-life-threatening illness and injury.”

Committed to sacredness of life, human dignity, mercy, justice, service and excellence, Mercy Urgent Care believes everyone should have access to convenient, affordable, and high quality healthcare.

Supporting the residents and visitors of Western North Carolina is a top priority, and to do this effectively Mercy Urgent Care, as an independent provider accepts most major insurances including Blue Cross Blue Shield North Carolina; offers a self-pay option with simple, tiered ‘fee for service’ pricing; and also has a Compassionate Care financial assistance program for qualifying patients.

Mercy Urgent Care was founded in Asheville in 1985 as an outreach of the Sisters of Mercy, an international religious institute of Roman Catholic women, begun in 1831 in Dublin, Ireland.

Today, Mercy Urgent Care operates four convenient urgent care locations in Buncombe County – on Patton Avenue, Tunnel Road, Hendersonville Road and in Weaverville ­– and one in Transylvania County near downtown Brevard. The not-for-profit organization is a certified North Carolina Best Employer, a living-wage employer, and provides over 100 jobs to people in our community.

In 2011, Mercy Urgent Care Brevard acquired Frances Warde Family Health, a primary-care clinic that is accepts patients for complete medical care. Mercy Urgent Care also offers a full range of employer-based occupational services through Mercy Occupational Medicine.

Mercy Urgent Care continues its commitment to local and international aid. Supported by the Catherine McAuley Mercy Foundation, Mercy Urgent Care carries out important humanitarian work locally in Western North Carolina and internationally in Haiti and the Philippines. The Mercy Foundation helps purchase medical equipment for facilities, supports relief teams, and provides more than half a million dollars in undercompensated care each year for people in need through its Compassionate Care program.

About Mercy Urgent Care: Mercy Urgent Care has served more than one million patients in the Asheville area since 1985. Providing fast, affordable treatment of non-life-threatening illnesses and injuries, the Buncombe County locations (three in Asheville, one in Weaverville) are open seven days a week, 362 days a year, except for Easter, Thanksgiving and Christmas. A fifth site in Brevard provides care for the residents of Transylvania County. The West location has the most extensive hours and is open Monday-Friday: 7 a.m-8:30 p.m. and Saturday and Sunday: 9 a.m.-7 p.m. More information about hours and locations can be found at www.urgentcares.org