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Many of us became familiar with the first floor of 1222 Jefferson Park Ave. during the pandemic, when it was home to UVA Health’s dedicated COVID-19 clinic. 

Today, the COVID-19 clinic is gone and new life is being brought to the space in the form of the UVA Health Same Day Care (SDC). Born of the Patient Progression Coalition, with the goal of enhancing patient access and reducing hospital admissions and readmissions, the clinic aims to provide care to patients with acute illness and/or minor injury — you guessed it — the same day.  It's just one of the ways that Ambulatory Operations is supporting the easy access and superior patient outcomes initiatives of UVA Health's Strategic Plan.

“I often clarify that Same Day Care is not a walk-in urgent care clinic — all our patients must be referred and have an appointment — but it is the first clinic of its kind on Grounds,” says SDC Manager Dwayne Phillips, BSN, MBA. “It’s exciting to be part of a new approach to care that has the potential to help so many of our patients and provide some scheduling relief to fellow clinics.” 

Phase one of SDC launched July 11. Following the adage of “walk before you run,” the clinic initially has been limited to nurse visits for patients referred by the Emergency Department (ED), Continuum Home Health services, and Outpatient Parenteral Antimicrobial Therapy (OPAT) for follow-up visits and/or same day acute care needs. In late July, SDC began accepting referrals for nurse visits from University Medical Center Ambulatory clinics.  

Fast forward two months and the clinic is bustling. Among the most common visit types to date are for peripherally inserted central catheter care, rabies vaccinations, antibiotic infusions, and wound care.  

“Many patients in our community do not have access to a primary care physician. So, when they need continued treatment after an Emergency Department visit, like a wound check or rabies vaccination series, having the option to book them an appointment with Same Day Care before they even leave the hospital is huge,” noted Sarah Wendel, MD, MBA, Associate Medical Director, University Medical Center ED. “This clinic visit helps avoid a return trip to the ED and ensures outstanding patient care for all patients.” 

In early October, SDC will expand to offer advanced practice provider (APP) visits. Again, their focus will be on non-emergent, acute issues, and follow-up care. With this expansion of service, the clinic also will begin accepting adult patient referrals from primary care clinics and Population Health’s Interactive Home Monitoring (IHM) program. Access and clinic staff in Medical Center and UPG primary care practices will be able to schedule acute patients whom they cannot accommodate for appointments with SDC directly through Epic. IHM will use SDC for follow-up care, similar to Continuum and OPAT. 

In 2024, SDC aims to hire additional APPs so it can offer virtual urgent care visits. 

“Same Day Care is a creative approach to helping acute patients while also reducing low-acuity visits to the ED,” says Ben Dolewski, MHA, MBA, Director of Ambulatory Services for Primary Care and Psychiatry, who helps oversee the clinic. “It’s a win for patients for who just want medical care when they’re sick, a win for providers who need a relief valve for their busy practices, and it all supports our strategic goals to improve patient access and deliver superior care.”