Time for a checkup? Does your child need a health form for daycare, school, or summer camp? Running low on a prescription medication?
Primary Care is here for those things and more.
Appointments
MIT Health’s Primary Care Service offers in-person appointments and telehealth* or hybrid appointments. When you request an appointment, tell us as much as you can about why you are scheduling the visit. Knowing what you need allows us to book the right kind of appointment. For example, if you just need an immunization, we’ll book a short, in-person appointment with a nurse, rather than a longer visit with a primary care provider (PCP).
To make an appointment, schedule online, or call 617-253-4481.
* Because some state laws restrict the provision of telehealth services across state lines, our telehealth services are available only to patients who are physically located in Massachusetts at the time of the appointment.
Routine checkups
Routine checkups (or “routine physicals”) will be with your primary care provider (PCP) and should be scheduled at least eight weeks in advance.
Routine checkups for both children and adults provide an opportunity to ask questions and share your health concerns. The clinician will conduct a physical exam, order any necessary lab work, and review your immunizations.
Communicating with your PCP
If you need to communicate with your PCP outside of a regular office visit, you may:
- Call your PCP’s office directly. This is the best communication method to use if you have an urgent need. You’ll speak with one of our triage nurses and, if necessary, your PCP will call you back.
- Send a secure message to your PCP through HealthELife, MIT Health’s online patient portal. You’ll hear back from your PCP or another member of your care team.
Prescriptions
Primary Care clinicians can write prescriptions when you need them. The easiest way to request a prescription refill or renewal is through our online patient portal, HealthELife. You can also call the Primary Care Service at 617-258-9355 or call your PCP’s office directly.
Appointment information for children
State law requires that children have certain immunizations by specific ages, and adults may need periodic booster vaccines. Children aged three and older will also have vision and hearing tests as part of a routine physical.
Your child should have routine checkups at the following ages:
- 1 week or younger
- 1 month
- 2 months
- 4 months
- 6 months
- 9 months
- 12 months
- 15 months
- 18 months
- 24 months
- 30 months
- 36 months
After age three, your child should have a routine checkup once a year. You can use the CDC’s free Milestone Tracker app to track your child’s development from age two months to five years, and share the results at each well-child visit.
If your child requires a physical exam to participate in a particular sport, call to schedule an appointment. You may also request a copy of your child’s latest physical exam. Just let your child’s PCP know you need the physical exam form, and we can send it to you through the HealthELife patient portal.
Parental consultations
If you’re the parent of a young patient, you may make a consultation appointment to speak privately with your child’s PCP without your child in the room. For example, you might use a consultation appointment to discuss certain medical issues or concerns about your child’s behavior.