What is Urgent Care?

Doctor's ExpressWhat do you do when you have a deep cut that requires stitches?

Or when you’ve taken a tumble and injured an arm or leg?

Here in the Merrimack Valley, the answer to these questions has long been to find the nearest emergency room. Long waits, increased costs, and general discomfort often awaited patients as they tried to address urgent, yet non-life-threatening needs. That is why our team at AFC Doctors Express was so excited to open up our services to the communities we call home.

Doctors Express is an urgent care medical practice located on Turnpike Street in North Andover (with a second location soon to open on Merrimack Street in Methuen). We are fully staffed with qualified doctors, physician assistants, nurses and staff who all have a history of providing quality care to the residents of the Merrimack Valley.

At Doctors Express we are neither a replacement for primary care physicians, nor a substitute for genuine emergency care. Rather, we are a bridge between these two services, offering medical support for urgent care needs.

What is Urgent care? The best way to describe urgent care is that we offer immediate care to individuals whose needs are urgent, yet are not severe enough that they are life threatening and require a visit to the emergency room or a call to 9-1-1. Common visits include testing for colds, flu, allergies, strep throat, cuts that require stitches, falls, back injuries, sprains and fractures that may need an x-rays.

Yes, lab tests, stitches, and x-rays are all done right in our office. And since we accept most insurance plans, we make it especially easy to have access to the best care right away.

Patients visiting Doctors Express do not need to call in advance. They can stop in without an appointment and typically be in and out in about an hour. The turnaround time is substantially less than the Emergency Room where it is not uncommon to wait 2 or 3 hours to be treated.

Additionally, the cost is about 1/5th of the average ER visit.

Quality healthcare is something all people deserve. Here at Doctors Express, we are providing a new option to our neighbors that allow you to have access to the care that fits your needs. So, next time you face a situation where you think a long wait in the Emergency Room is your only option, remember that Doctors Express is right here to provide you care.

“Doctors Express is an urgent care clinic staffed by board certified physicians and has earned exceptionally high patient satisfaction by providing convenient, high quality, efficient care”
Dr. Nelson Matos is the medical director of Doctors Express North Andover and Methuen. He lives in Methuen with his family and has been providing quality care for residence of the Merrimack Valley for nearly two decades.