CLINIC - Urgent Medical Assessment Clinic (UMAC)

The Urgent Medical Assessment Clinic is a hospital-based internal medicine clinic intended for urgent and semi-urgent referrals.  We have sites at the Victoria General Hospital and Royal Jubilee Hospital.  UMAC accepts referrals from Emergency Departments, community primary care, and specialty clinics for patients who have not been actively followed by an internist or sub-specialist for the problem.  Internal medicine residents’ and medical students’ ambulatory care teaching is delivered at the clinic. 

The clinic provides timely and comprehensive medical assessment and care plans for a broad range of clinical issues, including (but not limited to):

• Diagnostic workup of dyspnea, chest pain, weight loss/B symptoms, suspected malignancy

• Syncope/pre-syncope

• Thromboembolic diseases

• Atrial Fibrillation/other cardiac arrhythmias

• Complex chronic diseases (e.g. Congestive Heart Failure, CAD/Vascular Disease, COPD/Asthma, Hypertension, Diabetes, Dyslipidemia, Chronic/Acute Kidney Disease, Abnormal Liver Enzymes)

• Electrolyte imbalance and acid base disorders

• Vasculitis, PMR

• Preoperative assessmentsUrgent exercise treadmill testing

• Post-discharge follow-up of complex patients with active, unresolved internal medicine issues

Please note:

• UMAC is not a second opinion clinic or a stand-in for other sub specialists

• Chronic but stable issue referrals will be declined e.g. chronic fatigue and pain

• Dermatological issues without risk of vasculitis and pure neurologic symptoms are out of UMAC’s area of expertise

We aim to discharge patients back to their primary care providers (or other specialists) once diagnostic workup is complete, management plans are in place and patients have achieved clinical stability. 

We are unable to offer long-term, longitudinal follow-up for stable patients.

If referrals are deemed more appropriate for another clinic, we will aspire to communicate with the referring clinician with alterative recommendations.