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Whether you’re an avid runner, a pickleball master or the parent of an active kid, you know that injuries don’t often happen during regular business hours. That’s why UVA Health has launched an orthopedic clinic that provides specialty care when you need it most. 

The Orthopedic Walk-In Injury Care Clinic opened Monday, March 3, at the UVA Health Orthopedic Center Ivy Road after years of thoughtful planning and preparation. “We felt it was important to create an environment for our community where we could provide evaluations for acute orthopedic injuries after hours and on Saturday mornings,” says Bobby Chhabra, MD, director of the UVA Health Orthopedic Center. “Instead of spending hours in the ER or going to an urgent care, where they may not have the expertise to treat orthopedic injuries, patients now have a better option.”

“This is an opportunity to improve access for acute orthopedic injuries and make it much easier for people to be seen,” says David Weiss, MD, chief of the Orthopedic Trauma Division and medical director of the Orthopedic Walk-In Injury Care Clinic. “We are excited to offer this service to our community and to our UVA staff — not just the UVA Health staff, but our university population as well.” 

We asked Dr. Chhabra and Dr. Weiss to tell us more about what patients can expect during their visit and why this clinic is a gamechanger for the treatment of acute orthopedic injuries.

What types of injuries can be treated at the walk-in clinic?

Chhabra: This clinic is for people who have an injury that just happened acutely and need an assessment and evaluation. We care for sports-related injuries, injuries to the ankles, knees, hands, wrists, elbows, shoulders, and even some acute back and neck pain. We also treat broken bones, sprains, strains, and other muscle, joint, and tendon injuries. 

Weiss: We can do minor suturing for lacerations, reductions of simple fractures of the ankles and wrists, and treat simple dislocations. We also offer X-rays, bracing, casts, and splints.

Which patients should not seek care at the walk-in clinic?

Weiss: We don’t treat chronic issues or ongoing pain. If you have a head injury or suspected concussion, chest pain or shortness of breath, or a severe orthopedic injury like a complex fracture, you need to go to the ER.

What are the clinic hours and location?

Chhabra: The clinic is now open Monday through Thursday, from 5 p.m. to 8:30 p.m., and on Saturdays from 9 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. It’s located in the orthopedic trauma clinic within the UVA Health Orthopedic Center Ivy Road. The plan is to eventually expand the hours and have a dedicated space within the center.

Is the clinic walk-in only or can you make an appointment?

Weiss: We're set up as a walk-in clinic, but we also take appointments. If someone calls in in the morning, they can be given an appointment later that evening at the after-hours clinic if they choose, so they can have a better sense of timing. If you walk in and there are several people in front of you, you may have to wait a short time. But I was there in the clinic every evening the first week that we were open, and every patient was in and out in less than an hour. We have experienced staff and all that is needed to treat many orthopedic injuries, so we provide very efficient care. 

Who is on staff at the clinic?

Weiss: We have a clinician, an athletic trainer, a medical assistant, and an X-ray tech, as well as a scheduler and a greeter. 

Chhabra: All of the people who work in the walk-in clinic also work in the Orthopedic Center during the day, so they're all experienced. That’s very important — that you're seeing someone who has experience in orthopedics.

What are the primary advantages of receiving care at the walk-in clinic?

Chhabra: Being cared for by a team of orthopedic experts from the start is a significant advantage over the ER or urgent care center. If you need more advanced imaging or more advanced care, we can arrange that seamlessly at the Orthopedic Center and refer you to the appropriate UVA orthopedic specialist for follow-up care, including surgery. 

Weiss: Our emergency rooms are packed with patients who have common orthopedic injuries. They spend hours — at a considerable expense — to get evaluated. Then they're calling our orthopedic clinic for follow up the next day. Here, you will get the assessment or initial evaluation, initial treatment and all of the follow up — everything done for acute injuries — in a very timely fashion. The visit is charged as a clinic visit, so it’s a significant savings. 

Chhabra: It’s rewarding to have patients come to our clinic and get their X-rays, evaluation by a specialist, get put in a cast or in a splint, and schedule their follow up all in under an hour. It’s not just about the wait in the ER. It’s about what happens after. Now what? You still have to arrange for follow-up care. Here, the next steps are more efficient because now you have your follow-up appointment, your treatment plan, more imaging if you need it — all of that is arranged for you. It cuts down on the whole process. 

This clinic was a long time in the making. Is there anyone in particular that you’d like to recognize for making this vision a reality?

Chhabra: This was Dr. Weiss’s brainchild. It was his idea from years ago. So he really pushed this forward. Sara Rynders [PA-C], our orthopedic APP division head; Ainsley Polson [MSN, RN] and Brooke Benatsky [RN, BSN], our ambulatory clinic nurse managers; and Alexis Kouril, our ambulatory administrative coordinator — they all did an amazing job of working out logistics, making sure we have the equipment we need, making sure we have staffing available. We had a work group that met every week for almost six months in preparation for this clinic. 

Weiss: It was definitely a team effort. A lot of behind-the-scenes work went on to make this happen. But again, I was there every night for the first week of the clinic. And we had remarkably few things that we had to change because of all the work that had been done beforehand. It was impressive how all of the planning came together to execute this so well.

Learn more about the Orthopedic Walk-In Injury Care Clinic or call 434.924-ORTH to make an appointment.