Cooper CareNow: Healthcare on Your Time
Healthcare on your time
Convenience and healthcare don’t always go together. A doctors’ office hours may not be convenient for you. If you suspect you have a sinus infection and want to see the doctor, chances are you have to take an extended lunch break. Or if it is time for a physical exam, well, that might require personal vacation time. If it’s the weekend and you don’t feel well? The only option may be an urgent care or the ER, which is way more than what you need.
“People need access to healthcare on their time – in the evenings, on the weekends,” says Carman Ciervo, DO, Chief Physician Executive of Cooper Care Alliance. “We started to look at: How can we really respond to patients’ needs if we’re open from 8:30 to 5 on weekdays? And we realized we needed to provide patient care every day. And we now do that – Cooper CareNow is open 7 days a week from 8 am to 8 pm.”
“Cooper CareNow provides easy access to care – not just access, easy access,” says Jonathan Shulman, APN, Medical Director of the Cooper Care Alliance Advanced Practice Providers. Cooper CareNow is a service of the Cooper Care Alliance, a physician group of Cooper University Health Care that employs community-based medical professionals.
“There’s often so much gatekeeping in a doctor’s office,” says Shulman. “You call and you get put on hold or you hear the message about the phone options being changed. Then your doctor can’t see you for 2 weeks. We do things differently. Patients can call us – our number is 856-536-1515 – and they will get in to see a doctor that day. We’re open until 8 pm. Or they may schedule a telemedicine visit. At Cooper, we understand how important it is for you to get care, so we’re going to make sure you get that care right away.”
“When you call Cooper CareNow, somebody answers the phone,” says Dr. Ciervo. “Patients are often surprised it’s a live person. But that person has been trained to triage them and schedule an in-person visit or a telemedicine appointment.”
“At Cooper, we understand how important it is for you to get care, so we’re going to make sure you get that care right away.”
Next month, patients will also be able to schedule their Cooper CareNow same-day appointment through the MyChart App. “A lot of patients downloaded MyChart to schedule their Covid vaccine,” says Shulman. “So anyone who has that app will have the option of scheduling an appointment at Cooper CareNow through the app.”
Shulman notes that the patient’s relationship with their current family physician does not change if they make an appointment through Cooper CareNow. When a patient schedules a visit because their regular doctor is not available and they need care right away, the Cooper physician will send notes to the current provider to keep them informed. Other patients choose the physicians at Cooper CareNow as their regular primary care providers.
“Not that long ago, patients just wanted to see a doctor and they didn’t care who it was. They just wanted to be seen,” adds Shulman. “But now we’re seeing a shift. The patients want their provider to know them, to speak to them like a human being, to use their pronouns. They want them to know their financial situation, so they don’t prescribe expensive medications. What we have here at Cooper CareNow is a group of passionate clinicians who want to treat people well. Patients can access those physicians every day – on their time.”
Going back to your doctor
Many people continue to put off scheduling healthcare appointments, but now is the time to get back to your doctor, says Carman Ciervo, DO, Chief Physician Executive of Cooper Care Alliance.
“It’s very safe to go into your doctor’s office,” he says. “So it’s important that you don’t put off care. Don’t put off your screenings, like mammograms or colonoscopy, any longer. Two years is a long time.”
Cooper CareNow offers patients same-day appointments for non-emergency care, treating conditions like chest congestion, rashes, skin infections, bronchitis, UTI and earaches. Plus, centers are open from 8 am to 8 pm every day. “We can also schedule a telemedicine visit, which is a very convenient way to see a doctor,” Dr. Ciervo adds. “Whatever kind of appointment you would like, we will do that for you. It’s just important you take care of your health.”
To make a same-day appointment at Cooper CareNow, call 856-536-1515.
Going back to your doctor
