By Adam Hammer, staff writer

If you&8217;ve ever had trouble getting an appointment with a doctor for a case of the sniffles, there will soon be another option to get in quick with a physician.

Albert Lea Medical Center is branching out to Northbridge Mall with the addition of Express Care &8212; a one-physician storefront clinic with a menu of service options.

&8220;There were some very practical issues where patients are not having the access they desire, and we&8217;re trying to accommodate the patients for Albert Lea Medical Center in a manner that&8217;s more convenient to them,&8221; said Ginny Larson, administrator for ALMC.

Larson said Minute Clinics, which have been instituted in other parts of Minnesota, also prompted the idea of opening a similar service operated by ALMC.

&8220;We thought, wouldn&8217;t it be ideal if we ran it and we could control the quality of it and give them sort of the Mayo Clinic kind of care in an express care format,&8221; Dr. Michael Ulrich said. Ulrich will be the physician overseeing operations at the Express Clinic.

Patients to Express Care will not be seen for all illnesses.

&8220;Basically, it&8217;s a menu of very specific things that a provider will see there,&8221; Ulrich said. &8220;We actually have a list of things and if you don&8217;t have what&8217;s on the list, we won&8217;t see you.&8221;

Costs for Express Care visits will be less than traditional office visits which will be a benefit to patients and insurance companies alike.

Some medical conditions on the menu will include sore throat, ear infection and some skin infections.

The formula is similar to a Minute Clinic, but developed to meet the standards of ALMC, Ulrich said.

Larson said many of the conditions on the menu are things patients have familiarity with and may know they need to be treated for.

There will be no medicine refills and no narcotics available at Express Care.

Express Care will be operated by ALMC staff and visits will be included with the medical documents at ALMC. Staff members will include a rotating staff of ALMC nurse practitioners and physicians.

There will be one person on staff at a time who will greet patients and determine if their condition is something that fits the criteria of services provided. If a patient needs more medical attention than what is provided at Express Care, they will be referred to ALMC.

&8220;When they come in they&8217;ll be given a form to fill out that will help the person on staff quickly figure out if they will be able to be seen,&8221; said Trisha Dahl, assistant clinic administrator at ALMC.

&8220;This is going to be there you are, right away,&8221; Ulrich said.

Currently at ALMC, if a patient cannot be seen because of scheduling, they are referred to Urgent Care. Express Care will likely cut down on some of those cases that are not serious illnesses, Larson said.

&8220;This will allow Urgent Care to see the cases that really need to be seen at Urgent Care and for those quick things, you won&8217;t have to wait,&8221; Dahl said.

Larson is hoping the mall location will alleviate waiting line unease since there will be places for patients to go if they have to wait to be seen.

Express Care has been in the works for about a year and a half, and an opening date has still not been set. ALMC is still working with insurance companies and orientation to work out the details, Larson said.