MemorialCare Medical Group & Urgent Care

By Veronica Bradzey

For 20 years, MemorialCare Medical Group and Urgent Care has been an integral part of San Juan Capistrano and its surrounding communities, providing outpatient services to thousands in Orange County and beyond. Marking the one-year anniversary in its new location on Rancho Viejo Road, local residents also have cause to celebrate their access to premier patient care — 365 days a year — at this beautiful, one-stop-shop health center.

When MemorialCare Medical Group moved into its newly constructed, 25,000 square foot building last year, the doctors and staff were excited to offer the highest level of care, with the added convenience of an ultra-modern, well-equipped health center.

“One of the great things about working in this office,” says Ian Bare, MD, Medical Director of MemorialCare Medical Group Urgent Care, “is that we’re not some little office on an island. As a member of MemorialCare Health System, we are connected to a broad medical community, giving us the ability to provide comprehensive rather than episodic care.”

The office staff includes dedicated urgent care physicians, primary care physicians specializing in family practice, internal medicine and pediatrics; plus an onsite podiatrist, pulmonologist, palliative specialist, and a Coumadin Clinic.

“It comes down to giving people what they need, right then and there,” says Dr. Bare, “whether it’s a Kleenex and cough medicine, or it’s stabilizing them and calling an ambulance.” Being part of MemorialCare Health System makes this level of care possible, connecting patients, doctors, imaging centers, hospitals, and specialists through its Electronic Medical Records System (EMR).

The advantages and opportunities that are recognized from the EMR allow providers to deliver patient-centered coordinated care. The EMR enables doctors to instantly share patients’ medical history, hospital notes, imaging notes and specialist consultations so that all providers are on the same page. Whether a patient comes in with a dislocated finger or chest pains, any doctor they see will have immediate access to their full medical history within the MemorialCare Health System.

Along with an incredibly friendly team and caring, highly-qualified doctors and nurses, the office boasts a wide array of advanced equipment, allowing most procedures to be completed in-house. Accessibility to a full-time laboratory, ultrasound, an EKG machine, cardiac monitoring, dedicated procedure rooms with surgical equipment, point of care testing for glucose, hemoglobin and urine studies, and IVs for medications and fluids enhances treatment and delivery of optimal results.

“We try to be ready for anything that’s reasonable to do in an outpatient setting,” Dr. Bare says. And for anything they can’t handle in-house? “We’re backed by the entire MemorialCare Health System,” adds Bare.  If a patient comes in with a condition that requires a fully-equipped hospital, the health care team calls Saddleback Memorial ahead to make arrangements for the patient before their arrival, apprising the caregivers of the situation through the EMR.

Popular amenities offered at the health center include free Wi-Fi, a health education center, a private consultation room, and a drive-up outpatient drop-off area where patients can call for assistance when entering or leaving the facility.

MemorialCare Medical Group is active in the community, sponsoring events such as the Sports Physical Workshop at San Juan Hills High School, where Urgent Care doctors perform 600-700 sports physicals in one afternoon. Many of the Primary Care doctors present health-related seminars at businesses and community centers throughout Orange County. 

“Most of all, we want you to realize that we’re here for you,” Dr. Bare says. “Even if it’s just that you’re concerned and don’t know what to do, we’re happy to see you and get you on the right track.”