The General Internal Medicine Rapid Referral Clinic
On this page:
Overview
The General Internal Medicine Rapid Referral Clinic provides short term follow up for people who recently received care from the General Internal Medicine team at The Ottawa Hospital.
This includes patients who were discharged from hospital or seen in the Emergency Department and need timely review to support their recovery at home.
The Clinic helps make the transition from hospital to home safer by offering timely access to a General Internal Medicine team. This support can help address concerns early and reduce the chance of returning to hospital.
As the Clinic’s schedule allows, it also offers urgent consultations for patients referred by primary care providers when a complex or unclear health issue needs prompt assessment.
Services
The Clinic is designed for people who need a timely follow-up with a general internal Medicine specialist. It is most helpful for patients who have health concerns that are complex or not yet clearly diagnosed.
The Clinic may be right for you if you need:
- Help figuring out symptoms that do not yet have a clear cause.
- Care for health problems that involve more than one body system.
Most patients are seen only for a short time until the diagnosis is clearer or a care plan is in place.
The Clinic is not set up to provide:
- Regular primary care.
- Long-term follow-up for ongoing (chronic) conditions such as heart disease, type 2 diabetes or chronic lung disease.
- Care for single-system conditions that are already clearly diagnosed, such as rheumatoid arthritis flares, inflammatory bowel disease management or congestive heart failure adjustments.
After your visit, the Clinic will send recommendations to the doctor who referred you.
Team
This is a group clinic. Patients are seen by the physician or resident scheduled that day. Because it is a short-term clinic, patients may be seen once or for only a few visits. They may also see different clinicians at each visit.
The Clinic is also a training space for fourth and fifth year General Internal Medicine residents, who learn by caring for patients under supervision.
As the Clinic has grown, it has also supported many patients referred by primary care providers across Ottawa. Because access to community internal medicine is limited, the Clinic offers this service when its schedule allows.
Referrals
Patients must be referred by a physician. The Clinic cannot accept calls from patients requesting appointments or follow up. The clinic does not offer walk-in appointments.
Physicians can refer patients via Epic, Epic Care Link, or fax. Please include relevant history, investigations and consultation notes.
Because the Clinic focuses on urgent needs, referrals for concerns that do not require a visit within about 90 days will be declined.
Contact us
General Internal Medicine Rapid Referral Clinic
613-798-5555 ext. 81557
613-738-8373
The Ottawa Hospital – Riverside Campus
6th floor
1967 Riverside Drive, Ottawa, ON K1H 7W9