Primary Care in Tampa Bay
When Your Primary Care Provider Can’t See You, TGH Urgent Care powered by Fast Track Can Help Fill the Gap
Getting sick rarely lines up with your doctor’s schedule. You may wake up with a worsening cough, develop a urinary tract infection over the weekend, or need help with a medication while your primary care provider is booked for weeks. When the concern is not an emergency but you don’t want to wait for an appointment, TGH Urgent Care powered by Fast Track can help.
Our urgent care clinics provide timely evaluation and treatment for a wide range of everyday health concerns. We can also help bridge the gap when you are waiting to see your regular primary care provider, including addressing acute symptoms, performing testing, and, when appropriate, helping with certain medication needs. Walk-ins are welcome, giving patients throughout Tampa Bay another option when they need medical attention sooner.
Your Doctor Is Booked. Your Health Does Not Have to Wait.
A strong relationship with a primary care provider is an important part of managing your long-term health. But there are plenty of situations where waiting days or weeks for the next available appointment simply is not practical.
TGH Urgent Care powered by Fast Track can provide care for many non-emergency concerns that you might otherwise discuss with your regular doctor. We can evaluate what is happening now, determine an appropriate course of care, and help you manage the immediate issue until you can follow up with your PCP when needed. You may consider visiting us when:
- Your primary care provider cannot see you soon enough
- You become sick outside your doctor’s regular office hours
- Symptoms are getting worse while you wait for an appointment
- You need evaluation or testing for an acute illness
- You need care while traveling or away from your regular physician
- You have a minor injury that requires prompt attention
- You need certain physicals, testing, or other routine services
- You need help managing an immediate concern before your next PCP visit
For patients searching for primary care in Tampa or Tampa Bay because they need to see a medical provider quickly, urgent care may provide an appropriate alternative for many immediate, non-emergency needs.
Everyday Illnesses and Health Concerns We Treat
Many of the conditions that bring patients to their primary care doctor’s office can also be evaluated at an urgent care clinic. Our providers routinely care for common illnesses, infections, injuries, and other concerns that need timely attention. Conditions we routinely treat include:
- Coughs
- Sore throats
- Bronchitis
- Ear infections
- Eye problems
- Urinary tract infections
- Digestive concerns
- Diabetes-related concerns
- Nausea, vomiting, and diarrhea
- Colds
- Rashes
- Fevers
- Sprains
- Fractures
- Seizures
We also provide physicals, drug screens, Worker’s Compensation injury care, and care related to auto injuries/MVA. As a reminder, your primary care provider will not typically see patients with injuries associated with a car accident or an injury that occurred while at work. Because every patient’s situation is different, your provider will evaluate your symptoms, medical history, and current condition to determine the appropriate next steps.
Cold and Flu Season Can Make Primary Care Appointments Harder to Find
Cold and flu season tends to bring a familiar challenge. More people are sick at the same time, doctor’s offices get busier, and finding an appointment that works with your schedule can become increasingly difficult. You should not have to spend days waiting to have a persistent fever, worsening cough, painful sore throat, or other acute illness evaluated simply because your primary care doctor’s next appointment is unavailable. TGH Urgent Care powered by Fast Track can evaluate many of the illnesses that become particularly common during cold and flu season. Depending on your symptoms and your provider’s clinical judgment, testing may also be available to help determine what is causing them.
Testing When Symptoms Look Similar
A cough, fever, sore throat, fatigue, or congestion can have several possible causes. When appropriate, our clinics can perform tests including:
- Flu testing
- Strep testing
- Covid-19 testing
- Rapid RSV testing
- Mono testing
Getting evaluated can help your provider determine what may be causing your symptoms and what treatment or next steps are appropriate.
Help With Medications While You Wait for Your PCP
Running out of a medication or developing an acute issue that affects your current treatment can be stressful, especially when your regular provider cannot see you for several weeks. In certain circumstances, TGH Urgent Care powered by Fast Track may be able to help with refills of non-controlled medications, adjust medications for an acute issue, or begin appropriate treatment while you wait to see your primary care provider.
These services are not automatic. Any medication refill, adjustment, or treatment decision is based on the patient’s history and physical examination and is made at the treating provider’s discretion. Certain medications and medical situations may require evaluation or ongoing management by your regular physician or another specialist. Our goal is to address what can safely and appropriately be managed during your urgent care visit while helping you determine when additional follow-up is necessary.
More Than an Exam: Testing and Procedures in One Convenient Setting
Sometimes figuring out what is wrong requires more than talking through your symptoms. Having access to diagnostic testing and procedures during an urgent care visit can make it easier to evaluate many common health concerns without sending every patient somewhere else for basic services. Depending on your medical needs, our clinics commonly provide:
Diagnostic Testing
Available testing and diagnostic services include X-rays, EKGs, urinalysis, urine pregnancy testing, glucose testing, hemoglobin testing, stool guaiac testing for blood, microscopy, and lab draws.
In-Clinic Procedures
Our providers also perform procedures such as laceration repair, abscess drainage, foreign body removal, burn care, splinting, and breathing treatments when appropriate.
Sports physicals and several other testing services are also available.
Primary Care, Urgent Care, or the Emergency Room?
Choosing where to seek care can sometimes be confusing, particularly when you cannot reach your regular physician.
Primary Care
Your primary care provider is generally the best resource for ongoing preventive care, long-term management of chronic conditions, routine monitoring, and maintaining a continuous understanding of your overall health.
Urgent Care
Urgent care is designed for medical concerns that need attention relatively quickly but are not life-threatening. TGH Urgent Care powered by Fast Track can also be a valuable fill-in when your regular primary care provider cannot accommodate your schedule and your condition is appropriate for an urgent care setting.
Emergency Care
Potentially life-threatening symptoms and serious medical emergencies require emergency care. If you believe you are experiencing a medical emergency, call 911 or go to the nearest emergency department.
Convenient Care Across Tampa Bay and Beyond
When you are already feeling sick, spending hours trying to find a primary care clinic near you with an available appointment can add unnecessary frustration. TGH Urgent Care powered by Fast Track provides convenient access to non-emergency medical care throughout the communities we serve. Whether your regular physician is unavailable, you need care outside typical office hours, or an illness or injury simply cannot wait for the next open appointment, our clinics provide another option.
We serve patients throughout Tampa and Hillsborough County, Pinellas County, Pasco County, Lee County, and Charlotte County, find the location nearest to you, making timely care accessible across a broad portion of Florida’s Gulf Coast. Our clinics are open seven days a week from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m.
Spend Less Time Waiting With Save My Spot
You do not need an appointment to visit TGH Urgent Care powered by Fast Track. Walk-ins are always welcome. For added convenience, you can also use Save My Spot, our e-check-in option that allows you to select a clinic and reserve your place in line before you arrive.
Save My Spot can be especially helpful when you are trying to fit medical care into a busy day or want to see current options at nearby TGH Urgent Care powered by Fast Track locations before leaving home.
Get the Care You Need Without Waiting Weeks for an Appointment
Your primary care provider remains an important partner in your long-term health, but their schedule does not always match the timing of an illness, injury, or other immediate medical need.
When your PCP cannot see you and your concern should not wait, TGH Urgent Care powered by Fast Track is here to help. Walk in to a convenient location or use Save My Spot to reserve your place in line and get the timely, non-emergency care you need.