Appointments
MIT Medical’s Primary Care Service offers in-person appointments and telehealth* or hybrid appointments. When you request an appointment, tell us as much as you can about why you are scheduling the visit. Knowing what you need allows us to book the right kind of appointment. For example, if you just need an immunization, we’ll book a short, in-person appointment with a nurse rather than a longer visit with a primary care provider (PCP).
To make an appointment, call the Primary Care Service at 617-258-9355 (Cambridge Adult Primary Care), 617-253-1505 (Cambridge Pediatric Primary Care) or 781-981-7080 (Lexington), or call your PCP’s office directly. Or request an appointment through our online patient portal, HealthELife.
*Because some state laws restrict the provision of telehealth services across state lines, MIT Medical’s telehealth services are available only to patients who are physically located in Massachusetts at the time of the appointment.
Routine checkups
Routine checkups (or “routine physicals”) will be with your primary care provider (PCP) and should be scheduled at least eight weeks in advance. Patients who are covered by the MIT Traditional Health Plan or MIT Choice Plan must choose a PCP before making this kind of appointment.
Routine checkups for both children and adults provide an opportunity to ask questions and share concerns with your PCP. The provider will conduct a physical exam, order necessary lab work, and review immunizations. State law requires that children have certain immunizations by specific ages, and adults may need periodic booster vaccines. Children aged three and older will also have vision and hearing tests as part of a routine physical.
Your child should have routine physicals at the following ages:
- 1 week or younger
- 1 month
- 2 months
- 4 months
- 6 months
- 9 months
- 12 months
- 15 months
- 18 months
- 24 months
- 30 months
- 36 months
After age three, your child should have a routine checkup once a year. You can use the CDC’s free Milestone Tracker app to track your child’s development from age two months to five years, and share the results at each well-child visit.
If your child requires a physical exam to participate in a particular sport, call to schedule an appointment. You may also request a copy of your child’s latest physical exam. Just let your child’s provider know you need the physical exam form, and we can send it to you through the HealthELife patient portal.
Communicating with your PCP
If you need to communicate with your PCP outside of a regular office visit, you may:
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Call your PCP’s office directly. This is the best communication method to use if you have an urgent need. You’ll speak with one of our triage nurses and, if necessary, your PCP will call you back.
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Send a secure message to your PCP through HealthELife, MIT Medical’s online patient portal. You’ll hear back from your PCP or another member of your care team.
Prescriptions
Primary Care clinicians can write prescriptions when you need them. The easiest way to request a prescription refill or renewal is through our online patient portal, HealthELife. You can also call the Primary Care Service at 617-258-9355 or call your PCP’s office directly.
Health forms for children
Does your child need a health form for school, daycare, or summer camp? In most cases, there’s no need to make an appointment. Just send us the form, and as long as your child has had a checkup within the last 12 months and is up to date on immunizations, we will fill out the form and send it back to you within a week.
Parental consultations
If you’re the parent of a young patient, you may make a consultation appointment to speak privately with your child’s PCP without your child in the room. For example, you might use a consultation appointment to discuss certain medical issues or concerns about your child’s behavior.
Referrals
If you (or your child) need a diagnostic procedure or need to see a specialist, your PCP will give you a referral to another provider at MIT Medical or request a referral for you to be seen at another facility.
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If your PCP refers you to another service or provider within MIT, just contact that service or provider directly to set up the appointment.
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If your PCP tells you they are referring you to a facility outside of MIT Medical, that means they have sent a referral request to our referral specialists in MIT Medical’s Referral Office, who must confirm that the requested service is covered by your health insurance. One of our referral specialists may make the initial appointment for you, or you might make the appointment yourself once the referral is authorized. If you schedule the initial appointment yourself, you’ll need to contact the Referral Office to confirm.
