Urgent Care FAQsThe Queen’s Health Systems

Yes. In addition to communicating important information with your primary care provider, urgent care providers will make appropriate recommendations and referrals.

In the United States, many health insurers will not allow you to simply call a specialist and make an appointment. For insurance to cover specialists, you’ll need a referral first.

Both your primary care physician and urgent care provider can determine what kind of specialist you need and recommend someone qualified to treat your condition.

Yes. All of Queen’s urgent care clinics offer COVID-19 testing. Several clinics, including The Queen’s Medical Center, ‘Ewa-Kapolei, Pearl Kai, and Kapahulu, offer curbside COVID testing.

We know you’re busy with work, family, and other obligations and want to make COVID-19 testing as easy as possible.

Yes. Queen’s Urgent Care Clinics perform x-rays like any hospital or private radiology practice. 

You may benefit from having your x-ray done at an urgent care clinic because, in some instances, it costs less at these facilities compared to a private practice. Onsite x-rays also allow us to more quickly address the source of your discomfort.

We offer onsite x-rays to patients at all Queen’s urgent care clinics.

Yes. Queen’s Urgent Care does laboratory testing and blood work the same as your primary care physician. 

Blood tests are useful in checking for diseases such as cancer, diabetes, anemia, and HIV. They also tell providers how your kidney, liver, and heart are functioning. 

If you visit one of our urgent care clinics, we can send all blood results and lab work to your primary care provider for further evaluation.

Our onsite  bloodwork is an important diagnostic tool for addressing your particular health concerns.

Yes. An EKG (electrocardiogram) measures the heart’s natural electrical activity. A common and painless procedure, EKGs diagnose potential heart problems—some of them life-threatening.

If you’re experiencing heart palpitations, dizziness, or shortness of breath, providers will sometimes perform an EKG to make sure you’re not at risk for a heart attack.

While you can receive an EKG at an urgent care clinic, you should remember that if you’re experiencing serious chest pain, you should head directly to the ER for treatment.

Yes. Urgent care clinics do stitches for cuts and lacerations. 

Seek medical attention for a cut if:

• You received a cut to the face
• The cut was the result of an animal or person
• You experience excessive bleeding for more than 10 minutes

You may need stitches even if the above factors do not apply to your laceration or cut.

Few urgent care clinics perform ultrasounds. 

Although ultrasounds are an important diagnostic tool, they are not usually necessary unless a patient is experiencing a serious medical emergency for which they would visit the ER.

Ultrasounds are normally scheduled during routine checkups (for instance, pregnancy). 

If you are pregnant you should schedule an appointment with an OBGYN. Your OBGYN plays a critical role in managing your pregnancy; they assess your health and the health of your baby in utero to determine the best pregnancy care. 

You should not use urgent care clinics to receive routine medical care for pregnancy.

Yes. Urgent care clinics typically offer both urine and blood pregnancy tests. Both tests look for the hormone Human Chorionic Gonadotropin (hCG), which builds up after an embryo attaches to the uterine lining.

Urine and home tests offer 97% accuracy when used correctly. Urgent care clinics routinely see women who want a pregnancy blood test, which is even more accurate than urine tests.

Detecting hCG in your blood sample will confirm that you are pregnant. While urine tests can give false positives,  blood pregnancy tests do not.

Yes. A urinary tract infection (UTI) occurs when bacteria enters the urinary tract, including the bladder, kidneys, or urethra. While we typically think of UTIs as merely painful or annoying, these infections can cause serious health issues if left untreated.

Queen’s urgent care clinics treat UTIs. If you are experiencing an infection, you can call to schedule an appointment or walk-in to be treated by one of our physicians.

Yes. Patients looking for precautionary STD and STI tests can visit urgent care clinics to check for most sexuallytransmitted diseases and sexually transmitted infections.

If you are sexually active, providers advise that you receive regular STD/STI tests, even if you are taking steps to avoid contracting STDs/STIs.

While condoms are 98% effective in preventing the spread of STDs through bodily fluids such as gonorrhea and HIV, they do not protect against STIs contracted from skin-to-skin contact, such as genital warts and herpes.

If you think you may have an STD or STI, you should undergo a medical evaluation.

Yes. IV fluids are most commonly used to treat dehydration by administering large amounts of water mixed with electrolytes and vitamins. In addition to treating  dehydration, a provider or nurse may administer an IV for:

• Pain management
• Adverse reactions to chemotherapy
• Food poisoning

If the providers and nurses at urgent care determine you need an IV, they will administer IV fluids either manually or by using an electric pump.

Yes. Urgent Care providers can prescribe antibiotics commonly used to treat bacterial infections. Some testing can be done on-site to determine if you have a virus that would not require an antibiotic.

In fact, urgent care clinics can prescribe medication for most health issues with some notable exceptions: they will prescribe painkillers for short-term use only, and they will not prescribe antidepressants, anti-anxiety, or sleep medications.

Yes. If you notice a small bump on your skin you may have a sebaceous cyst. If you’ve never had a cyst removed before, don’t worry—the procedure is usually fast and painless.

At an urgent care clinic, your provider will perform the following steps in cyst removal:

• They will first numb the area with lidocaine.
• Next, they will use a sharp instrument to remove the sac containing fluid and fatty tissue.
• Finally, you’ll receive stitches that will either dissolve or need to be removed.

Yes. If you’ve ever had a blockage in your ear caused by a buildup of earwax, you know how annoying it can be. 

Ear wax removal is a minimally-invasive procedure. Typically, providers irrigate your ear using a water and saline mixture. This flushes out the offending wax buildup.

• Allergies
• Animal bites
• Bronchitis
• Common illnesses (colds or flu)
• Diarrhea
• Earaches
• Eye infections (including pink eye)
• Fevers
• Headaches
• Insect bites
• Minor burns
• Sinus infections
• Skin rashes and infections
• Sore throat and cough
• Stomachache and nausea
• Sprains and strains