Primary Care in Rhode Island

When an urgent but non-emergency health issue arises, your first call should be to your primary care provider (PCP). Reaching out to your PCP before a trip to the emergency room can save you time, hassle, and money – offering same-day appointments and convenient telehealth visits.

This is guidance about how to contact your PCP and use same-day appointments or telehealth; it is not a formal FAQ with a question/answer format.

If you're unsure what to do when a health issue arises, call your PCP even after regular office hours. Each practice has a physician on call who can help you determine the best course of action. They will guide you on whether:

This describes after-hours guidance and who to contact, but does not present a specific question/answer pair.

can wait until the next business day for a regular appointment

Implied guidance as to scheduling urgency.

- You should

Fragment of guidance from the page; not a complete standalone FAQ item.

- You need to seek immediate attention at the Emergency Department (ED)

Indicates when to go to ED.

To schedule a same-day appointment, call your practice or schedule your appointment online.

Instruction for scheduling a same-day appointment.