Need a doctor in Brooklyn on a Saturday!

January 17, 2009 7:25 AM

I really, really need to see a doctor today. Unfortunately my usual doctor won't be open until Tuesday. Please recommend a doctor thats open on a Saturday!

I really dont think this warrants an emergency room visit (in a nutshell, i have a very painful bump on my arm that has been there for several days). I really want a doctor to take a look at it and i dont want to wait another three days.

Does anyone know of a decent doctor that is open on a Saturday, preferably in the Greenpoint/Williamsburg area of Brooklyn?

I have Aetna insurance, btw.

posted by silverstatue to health & fitness (17 comments total)

Urgent care facility.
posted by desjardins at 7:39 AM on January 17

urgent care, really? i mean it might be a spider bite or an ingrown hair or an allergic reaction or something. i'd really rather just see a general practitioner....
posted by silverstatue at 7:41 AM on January 17

I don't know Brooklyn at all, but maybe one of these is close to you, and they take Aetna.
posted by desjardins at 7:41 AM on January 17

Yeah, I'd say urgent care, too. It's not an emergency, but you want someone to see you today... that's kind of the point of urgent care, isn't it?
posted by MegoSteve at 7:42 AM on January 17

Urgent care. This is more or less exactly what they're for: things that need a doctor but don't justify the ER. They see all sorts of things: don't worry that they're going to look at you and go "oh my God, you came in for this?".
posted by scrump at 7:57 AM on January 17

ok i called all four places listed in desjardins link and all of them were closed! how is that possible!

any other suggestions, folks? i'm getting desperate here.
posted by silverstatue at 8:02 AM on January 17

Unsure about insurance options, but you could try Hello Health.
posted by tip120 at 8:04 AM on January 17

I do not know Brooklyn at all, but I did a quick search for walk in clinics, and I found the Clinton Walk In clinic. This link says they are open on Saturdays, and that it is a good place to go for normal medical issues. I cannot vouch for any of this information, but the second link includes a phone number.
posted by Chick Pea at 8:04 AM on January 17

Not in Brooklyn, but at the corner of 23rd and 7th in Manhattan there's a Beth Israel urgent care facility that advertises being open 24/7.
posted by kimdog at 8:07 AM on January 17

There's an urgent care in Brooklyn in Bay Ridge at 4th Avenue between 63rd and 64th that should be open.
posted by roomthreeseventeen at 8:12 AM on January 17

Call Access Aetna's Informed Health® Line at 1-800-556-1555. They'll help you find a spot.

I work for another health care company. We do this for people all the time.
posted by 26.2 at 8:22 AM on January 17 [1 favorite has favorites]

There's this place by me in park slope that does walk ins. park west clinic . THey're probably open, call ahead.
posted by alkupe at 8:46 AM on January 17 [1 favorite has favorites]

The 23rd and 7th facility is okay but not very fast. There is another one on 33rd and park that is faster and probably just as convenient (if you're on the L take the L to the 6)

http://www.yelp.com/biz/beth-israel-medical-group-new-york

Bring a book.
posted by sondrialiac at 8:48 AM on January 17

Oh and the facility I'm referencing is a walk-in clinic run by Beth Israel medical center. They have good reviews on Yelp and I've been there several times.

55 E. 34th St
First Floor
(between Madison Ave & Park Ave)
New York, NY 10016
[phone]

They charge your insurance with a regular office visit. Believe me, it's the way to go.
posted by sondrialiac at 8:51 AM on January 17

Nth'ing urgent care.

This is what they are there for, to help when your regular doctor is not available.

Good luck & feel better.
posted by Argyle at 8:52 AM on January 17

I've been to the one sondrialiac mentions and it's quite good. We had about a 2 hour wait the last time we were there. You'll be seen by a nurse or nurse practitioner first, and the doctor will come in and examine you and tell you what they think. I actually think they are sometimes better than general practitioners at diagnosing weird stuff, as they get people with all sorts of random maladies coming through all the time.

Anyway, if it's bothering you that much, urgent care is the way to go.
posted by bedhead at 10:05 AM on January 17

If you don't want to wait, you could always call ahead to any of the $90-a-visit Duane Reade clinics in Manhattan.
posted by aquafortis at 10:53 AM on January 17