Urgent & Emergency Care

Emergency Care

Proceed to the nearest Emergency Room or call 911 if you or a family member requires immediate attention.

Urgent Care

Nurse Advice Line

Need professional medical advice after hours?  Call TRICARE's Nurse Advice Line for help 24 hours a day, 7 days a week at 1-800-TRICARE (874-2273), Option 1.  This Nurse Advice Line has a team of professional registered nurses who will answer questions and help with decisions regarding self-care at home or when it is best to see a healthcare provider.  For additional information on the TRICARE Nurse Advice Line, go to http://www.TRICARE.mil/NAL

Urgent Care

Your TRICARE benefits allow for visits to an urgent care facility without a referral or prior authorization if the care facility is in the TRICARE network.  For additional information on TRICARE Urgent Care benefits, go to: http://www.TRICARE.mil/CoveredServices/IsItCovered/UrgentCare

Email questions to our TRICARE Beneficiary Counseling and Assistance Coordinator at: usn.jbcharleston.navhlthclinchssc.Mesg.nhc---chas-tricare-health@mail.mil.

Do I need to fast for the tests my doctor has ordered?

This varies on the tests and the provider. ALWAYS check with your doctor to see if you should be fasting and follow his instructions. Fasting should be for at least 8 hours but no more than 12 hours. You should be able to have water or a small cup of black coffee (NO cream or sugar) unless instructed otherwise by your provider. Your veins will be easier to access if you are not very dehydrated.

After blood is drawn, if you need to provide a urine specimen, you will be directed to the restrooms with a collection cup and any special instructions. It will be dropped off at the collection window at the end of the bathroom hallway. Don’t worry if you can only urinate a small amount. Usually, even less than half of the specimen cup is more than enough.

If you need to provide a stool specimen, you will be provided a collection cup and instructions to take home to be returned at your convenience. Sometimes your doctor may ask for tests on a 24 hour urine collection. Again containers and instructions vary on the individual tests, so always confirm storage requirements and drop-off times for your tests.
 

Why is it taking so long to have my blood drawn?

There are lots of things that can slow the process in the phlebotomy room. Sometimes patients do not have the easiest veins to access and we want to find the best possible choice to achieve success with everyone. Some patients are having lots of tests performed which requires lots of blood being drawn and lot of labels being generated. Great care is taken at each step to assure that everything is properly checked and labeled.

Most people are fine after having blood drawn. Although several tubes may be collected, it is really a small amount of blood relative to the amount in the body. Nevertheless, some patients have reactions usually limited to slight dizziness or nausea. We keep these patients in place until they are feeling better and try to afford them some privacy until they can be up and about.

Children will also slow down the drawing room. Young children sometimes don’t understand why they are having blood drawn and are not always cooperative. It can also take several staff members to assist in collecting blood from a child, again slowing us down.

We are mindful of your time and we will always be glad to spend the extra time with you or your family when necessary, so we are asking for your patience in advance if others may need us.
 

Can I still have lab tests performed at the Naval Health Clinic even if I was seen by a civilian specialist?

The majority of the time, the answer is yes. Bring your signed orders from the Outsider Provider directly to the lab. The lab staff will enter the tests and then process your phlebotomy like everyone else. The orders will then move to a designated staff member and will be faxed to your provider upon completion. The patient should make sure that the information is correct on the order in order to help ensure that the results get to the provider. Checking the fax number for the practice and/or indicating the office location is a great help. Many practices have multiple locations and each practice receives results differently so your assistance to these details is greatly appreciated.

If one of our providers has requested tests for you and you would like the results sent to your specialist, please ask the lab staff to provide you with a release form, complete the requested information and we will be happy to do that as well. If you need older records (greater than about 90 days) sent to your Outside Provider, Medical Records on the second floor of NHCC will be able to help you with that request.

The Lab policy states that we can ONLY release your lab results to the ordering provider or to a designated provider with your release. YOUR release – not a spouse. A parent or guardian would sign the release for a minor child.

Keep in mind that we are a basic laboratory. Many specialized tests are sent out to reference labs for testing and may take up to 10 business days for results. Your specimens are stored and shipped according to required standards for all tests. Please allow this time when making appointments with your provider.  
 

How long does it take to perform the lab tests?

This becomes an important question if your doctor has you waiting for the test results and the answer can be anything from “just a few minutes” to “not today”. We perform quite a few “rapid” tests in our lab. A test to determine a strep throat or to test for the flu can take 10-20 minutes, once we receive the specimen or nearly an hour can pass before we can even begin to perform chemistry tests such as a glucose or lipid testing. This has to do with the required handling prior to testing and that varies with the specimens and the tests.
How your doctor orders the test will affect its priority. A doctor ordering tests for a patient who is very ill may requests the tests ASAP or STAT. Those move to the next space available for that test. Routine tests performed in-house are completed by the end of the business day.

We have a good bit of automation in the lab which is a wonderful thing and greatly speeds testing. However, machines require maintenance and sometimes they require service or repair. During these times we make special arrangements to send out the most urgent tests but routine tests are performed when the machine is returned to service.

Computer systems work much the same. Information travels quickly when things are working at their best but when those systems are not operational, everything slows dramatically and great care must be exercised to maintain records while the patient information systems are down.