Priority Care Wants Patients To Have A Warm, Convenient Experience

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If the producers of a game show surveyed people at random to find the most common complaints about emergency rooms, they would likely hear about the long wait times, the high costs associated with a visit and the lack of convenience. Since February 2017, Priority Care, an urgent care facility in Severna Park, has provided a different experience. Walk-ins are encouraged, patients of all ages are seen quickly, and the staff members form bonds with their patients.

“With the amount of patients you have coming through ER, this is more efficient both for time and costs,” said Mason Helman, Severna Park clinic director and physician assistant. “For us, it’s really important that you get seen in a timely manner. We expect to have you in and out in an hour.

“It made sense [to open in Severna Park] because it was needed in the community and we’re filling that need,” she added.

Owned by Bill Link and Dr. Thomas Raley, the medical center has a radiology department, lab services and diagnostic medical abilities. Priority Care can treat most medical issues that are not life-threatening. Services include flu shots, treatment for seasonal allergies, sports physicals, electrocardiograms (EKGs) and diagnostic tests, blood testing, pap smears and pelvic exams, STD screening and treatments, pediatric urgent care services, X-rays and more.

Those services are carried out by a team of medical professionals with more than 40 years of combined emergency medical experience. Patients can rest assured that, regardless of their illness or injury, they are in good hands.

“All of us have worked in emergency rooms,” Helman said. “You’re getting quality providers. You’re not getting a grad student right out of residency.”

Not only is the team at Priority Care highly qualified but it is also friendly. Patients who visited in December may have noticed that doors to exam rooms were decked out with displays of holiday cheer.

“Some clinics are very regimented or have transient workers,” Helman said. “We’re like a family here. We enjoy working together.”

That also means that returning patients will see familiar faces. “Most people are going to see me or [physician assistant] Carol Kniola,” Helman said. “They’re not going to have to guess what rotating staff member they’ll see that day.”

To see a doctor, swing by Priority Care at 550 Ritchie Highway, Suite K, in the Park Plaza shopping center in Severna Park. Appointments are not necessary, and most insurance plans are accepted. Hours are Monday through Friday from 8:00am to 8:00pm and Saturday through Sunday from 9:00am to 5:00pm. For more information, call 443-242-2200 or visit www.prioritycareclinics.com.

“I think we’re going to continue to grow as a clinic that local residents and families can depend on for same-day care when they need it,” Helman said. “And we’ll continue to build those relationships.”

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