New Urgent Care Center Replaces Clarkson Square Pharmacy

A new urgent care clinic is set to open its doors in Chesterfield in about a month—just doors away from an after-hours clinic specializing in pediatric medicine.

Total Access Urgent Care, a Rock Hill-based company that launched in 2008, will open its second clinic on Nov. 12, barring any construction delays.

Sign installers were on the scene bright and early Wednesday morning to put up the sign for Total Access Urgent Care, which has moved into the space at at 1737 Clarkson Road, once occupied by Clarkson Square Pharmacy. That community institution closed four of five months ago, according to neighbors in the strip shopping center.

Carter Fenton Jr., the doctor who will run the new Chesterfield location, told Patch the company plans to continue expanding in the region.

"This is the second in a series of these hopefully," Fenton said. "(The company) has hopes to open several. It depends at this point. There's nothing definitive at this point, but definitely in the works."

Total Access was founded by emergency medicine physician Matt Bruckel.

"If we can continue to find rock star physicians who buy into the the business model, my global plan is to hav six of these in the St. Louis area in two to three years," Bruckel told Patch.

He said the key is finding doctors who have three important skills: speed at medical care; top notch medical care skills; and outstanding customer service.

The company's website describes itself as "a walk-in medical facility for the treatment of non-life threatening injuries and illness."

In Chesterfield, Fenton said four physicians will rotate through, with one on duty at all times, daily from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. He expects to be there about 60 percent of the time.

Total Access doesn't require an appointment, although patients can register online. The company accepts most major insurance company policies and has a "plan for patients without health insurance and who qualify for a reduced rate based on need."

Fenton said company representatives have been in touch with people at After Hours Pediatric Urgent Care, right around the corner at 1751 Clarkson Road. He said Bruckel did not realize that another urgent care facility was so close when the company chose this location.

After Hours Pediatric focuses on care for children and doesn't open until 5 p.m. most days.

"We hope to not impact their position there," Fenton said. "We're hoping to have a good collaborative relationship. They seem encouraged."

The new business is also a couple of miles away from a Walgreens Pharmacy, near Clarkson and Chesterfield Parkway, which also provides clinic services.

Fenton said the difference is in the ER training of the physician staff and the equipment: Total Access will have an X-ray machine, for example, and will be able to deal with fractures and other more serious, non-life-threatening injuries that patients might otherwise visit an emergency room to treat.

The Chesterfield location will be able to lab tests and may later get a CT scanner and ultrasound machine. 

"We're trying to broaden the scope of what is available," Fenton said.

The company also advertises large flat-screen TVs with cable in each room and free Wi-Fi internet access for patients who need to get some work done while they're waiting for medical care.

According to an article in the St. Louis Post-Dispatch in March 2011, Bruckel and two other doctors see 60 patients daily at the original Rock Hill location at 9556 Manchester Road.