Urgent Care

Overview

MIT Medical’s Urgent Care Service is open daily for urgent, but non-life-threatening emergencies. 

Come to Urgent Care for…

• Allergies and asthma
• Bruises, small cuts, scratches
• Cold or flu
• Ear and eye infections
• Fevers (above 101° F, 38° C)
• Headaches
• Nausea and vomiting
• Minor burns
• Muscle cramps or spasms
• Rashes or minor swelling
• Sexually transmitted infection symptoms
• Sore throat and sinus pain
• Sprains, strains, or possible minor fractures
• Stomach flu symptoms (stomach pain, diarrhea, etc.)
• Urinary tract infections

We can provide advice by phone as well. Call us at 617-253-4481, 24 hours a day. We may advise you to come in, to stay home, or to go directly to an emergency room. If the problem is not urgent and a clinician is not readily available, we will take your number and call you back.

Go directly to an emergency room for…

• Chest pain
• Difficulty breathing
• Excessive bleeding
• Labor
• Severe abdominal pain
• Stroke
• Substance abuse symptoms (drugs or alcohol intoxication)
• Trauma (significant fall, blunt trauma, head trauma with loss of consciousness)

If you are dealing with a life-threatening situation, dial:

• Cambridge campus: 617-253-1212 (any phone)
• Lexington: Dial 911
• Off campus: Dial 911

What to expect when you come to Urgent Care

Visiting MIT Medical during COVID-19: We have protocols in place to minimize the spread of COVID‑19. If you have an in-person visit at MIT Medical, here’s what you need to know.

• Arrive no more than 10 minutes before your reserved appointment time and go to the registration desk to check in. To keep the number of people in the building low, we are not using waiting rooms. If you arrive earlier, please wait outside the building, and stay at least six feet away from others. If you can’t make it to your appointment on time, we may have to change your reservation to a different time or day.
• It’s best to come alone. If you need to bring someone to your appointment, please limit yourself to one companion.
• Don’t forget your mask. During your visit, please keep your mask on at all times, unless otherwise instructed. Massachusetts requires masks in all healthcare settings, including MIT Medical.
• You may be screened when you enter the building. When you arrive, a staff member may greet you at the entrance and do a brief COVID‑19 screening and temperature check. After that, you will be directed to the appropriate check-in point.
• Once you’re checked in, you’ll be taken directly to an exam room. You’ll wait for your clinician in the exam room, and when your appointment is over, someone will come into the room to check you out. If you need any lab work or follow-up appointments, we’ll schedule those appointments at that time.

Common symptoms

Many symptoms and minor accidents can be treated at home. Take a look at our “Tips for Common Symptoms” — it may save you a trip.

Pediatric patients

You can bring your child to Urgent Care. However, sometimes a pediatric clinician is not available. Call 617-253-1311 before coming in with your child.

Who can use Urgent Care?

All members of the MIT community are eligible to use the Urgent Care Service. Employees and family members who are covered by the MIT Traditional and MIT Choice Plans will have a copay for services. There is no copay or other charge for MIT students and affiliates or their family members who are enrolled in MIT’s student and affiliate insurance plans. If you are a benefits-eligible employee covered by outside insurance or a retiree with Medicare, your out-of-pocket cost for services in Urgent Care depends on your individual coverage. This means that you may be billed for any copayment, coinsurance, or non-covered services. If you are covered by outside insurance and have not used MIT Medical services in the past, you will need to register and provide insurance information when you come to Urgent Care for the first time.

Campus visitors

MIT Medical’s Urgent Care Service is not open to the general public, but we can see visiting family members or guests of MIT community members and individuals who are on campus for MIT events.

However, the Urgent Care Service accepts only MIT-sponsored insurance plans, the Draper Harvard-Pilgrim HMO, and Medicare. Campus visitors who do not have one of those plans may need to pay the full cost of a visit to the Urgent Care Service, including any copays, deductibles, and co-insurance. They should be aware that their health insurance may not cover any portion of the cost.

For a list of local urgent care, emergency room, and pharmacy options that may accept outside health insurance, download A Visitor’s Guide to Local Health Care Services (PDF).