11/23/2020
NOTE: The COVID-19 pandemic is ongoing and clinical and public health recommendations are evolving. This press release and the news it describes may now be outdated. Consult your physician and public health authorities for updated guidance.
PITTSBURGH – UPMC Urgent Care centers in the greater Pittsburgh area and in Mercer, Venango, Clarion and Erie counties recently began providing COVID-19 testing with a physician order or as part of an urgent care visit and examination.
“As we and our public health colleagues expected, cases of COVID-19 increased across the nation in the past month, including in the communities UPMC serves,” said Russ Meyers, executive administrator, UPMC Emergency Medicine, Community Hospitalists and Urgent Care Services. “Expanding testing to our UPMC Urgent Care centers creates greater access and convenience for patients as we continue to see increased positive cases. Opening testing at UPMC Urgent Care Hermitage, for instance, fulfills a need in Mercer and Lawrence counties for reliable, closer-to-home COVID-19 specimen collection.”
With this new service, patients have two options if they need care:
- Patients can visit UPMC Urgent Care locations for an evaluation, without an appointment. If testing is determined to be appropriate, a COVID-19 test can be conducted onsite as part of that visit.
- Patients can get a consultation with their doctor through a virtual visit on MyUPMC or through UPMC AnywhereCare (available on-demand 24 hours a day, 365 days a year). If the provider orders a COVID-19 test, it can be completed at an Urgent Care location, with many offering online scheduling at UPMC.com/CovidTestingUC.
Testing is available daily from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m., no appointment needed, with extended hours from 7 a.m. to 11 p.m. at UPMC Urgent Care Pleasant Hills.
Upon arrival at the center, patients must wear a face mask and can register for their test by calling a phone number listed on the front door of the clinic. After registration, patients should return to their vehicle and remain masked while waiting for the next available health care worker. Photo ID and insurance information is required to complete registration.
In most cases, test results are available within two to five days. The results are delivered through the patient’s referring physician or an Urgent Care provider. Results also are available in the patient’s secure MyUPMC account.
