Take a look inside the new CityMD clinic in University Place

Urgent care services in the Tacoma area just got another booster shot.

CHI Franciscan Health (on the heels of opening its Tacoma rehabilitation hospital) and New York-based CityMD are expanding their partnership in the region with two new clinics, joining five other CityMD sites in Pierce and King counties.

On Wednesday, the two health entities held a ribbon-cutting and tour of their University Place facility, set to open Thursday (May 31).

In addition to the new UP location — at 3556 Marketplace West, suite 109, next to Whole Foods Market — a new Puyallup site is already open. That clinic is at 12005 Meridian Street East, Suite 101, south of the South Hill Mall.

Hours for both clinics are 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. Monday through Friday; 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday and 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. Sunday.

The average wait time at the clinics is less than eight minutes, not just at its newer sites, but its busier sites, too, said Dr. Joseph Passanante, City MD's senior vice president of medical operations, Northwest region.

"I like to say we're allergic to waiting, just like patients are," he said.

"We have staffing designed to get patients in, and keep doctors doctoring," he noted during the site tour.

During office visit, scribes are assigned to taking down medical information on the computer, leaving doctors free to interact with patients.

With its eight rooms the clinic can accommodate up to 100 patients a day, with an average visit time "door to door," of less than 30 minutes, Passanante said.

Services include sutures, injury treatment, simple illness treatment (flu, cold, cough), flu shots and travel vaccines. Also available are X-ray diagnostics, along with a team of board-certified emergency medical physicians.

"In the last six weeks we've opened two CityMD clinics and opened up a brand new inpatient rehab hospital," CHI Franciscan Health CEO Ketul J. Patel said in opening remarks. "... This is just an exciting time for all of us."

This story was originally published May 31, 2018 at 8:00 AM with the headline "Take a look inside the new CityMD clinic in University Place."