Getting urgent or emergency care when you need can be a stressful ordeal. When someone is sick or injured, it could mean reshaping daily life to get care, and for some, that simply isn’t doable. At best, the disruption is temporary. But for older adults, busy families, people with mobility limitations, or those who are homebound, a single trip to the emergency room upends lives bringing transportation challenges, missed work, and significant physical and emotional strain.
Dr. Elizabeth Shields, a retired Navy physician and board-certified family medicine doctor, founded Urgent MD in Newport, Rhode Island to provide at-home, urgent primary care for all ages on Aquidneck Island and Jamestown. Her experiences in the Navy, and as a mother of three, revealed a growing gap in how urgent care is delivered. In moments of urgency, care is often rushed and disconnected from the person receiving it. Her practice is designed to answer that gap by meeting people at home when urgent needs arise with thoughtful, highly personalized care.
Dr. Shields explains:
“My own life played a big role in why I built this practice. I’m a working mom with three young children–five years, 2 and a half, and a newborn. My days are full. There are school schedules and activities, and a baby who needs constant attention.”
“When I think about someone in my family getting sick or injured in the middle of all that, I know how disruptive it would be to stop everything, load up the car and sit in a waiting room. It would drain my energy and take over my entire day. I wanted to create a model that fits into real life, where someone can call, and care can come to them.”
And then there’s procrastination. Procrastination is costly to individuals, families and to the healthcare system as a whole. Yet for many people, delaying care isn’t a choice. It’s the only option available. For older adults especially, the effort required to get care, and the worry about what a visit might uncover, can outweigh a trip to an urgent care center or the emergency room.
House calls change that equation by providing a supportive layer of urgent care that helps people get help sooner, often before a situation becomes a crisis. Dr. Shield’s model is not meant to replace a person’s primary care, it’s an added layer of support that meshes with a patient’s broader care team.
Through this approach, she is offering something almost unheard of today: real, old-fashioned house calls designed to provide time, attention and clinical insight without the typical 10-minute visit constraints and administrative pressures that take personalization out of the modern medical system.
There’s no denying the extraordinary advances in modern medicine. We see it every day as people live longer and individuals of all ages benefit from innovations that have dramatically improved quality of life. But as medicine has advanced, the systems designed to deliver care have grown more complex and difficult to navigate. In the process, a treasured human side of care continues to erode: time for meaningful doctor-patient human connection.
“When I retired from the Navy, I didn’t want the speed bumps that come with caring for 20 patients a day,” Dr. Shields said. “I wanted to practice medicine in a way that allowed me more time and attention for each patient.”
“Seeing people in their homes and how they live changed how I practice medicine. Their space often tells me what’s happening in their mind and their daily life in a way an office visit never can. When you meet someone where they are and give them time, they’re more comfortable and more willing to ask for help. Inviting a doctor into your home takes vulnerability and that vulnerability builds trust. Being in someone’s space has also given me a sense of humility I wouldn’t have gained otherwise. When I started to bring care to people, rather than forcing them to come to care, it became clear that this approach actually supports the healing process.”
Home-based urgent care adds a layer of clinical insight that’s hard to capture in a traditional office setting. For Dr. Shields, that often means uncovering important details like medication errors, fall risks and daily challenges that are easy to miss in an office visit. For older adults, urgent care concerns like urinary tract infections, dehydration, respiratory symptoms, or confusion can often be evaluated early and more accurately when care happens in the home.
Dr. Shields emphasizes that her work is designed to support the care patients already receive.
“My goal during a home visit is to medically reset and stabilize the situation, then guide the patient to the right next steps. I see this as a supportive layer of urgent care that works alongside the broader healthcare system, not outside of it.”
Urgent MD operates on a private-pay basis. The cost of a one-time, in person home visit is $350 or $150 for a virtual visit. The fee is intended to support care related to the issue that prompted the visit, including appropriate follow up. Dr. Shields also helps patients connect to their insurance covered care, guiding them to specialists and ensuring a smooth transition back to primary care with clear notes from the visit.
“I spend about 30 minutes to an hour with each patient, depending on what they need. That time allows us to talk through a plan. I also carry common urgent-care medications so patients don’t have to leave home when they’re sick. Follow up is a big part of this—I stay involved until people are feeling better and have the support they need.”
Research shows that home-based care, including physician house calls, can be particularly impactful for older adults, helping them spend more time safely at home while reducing fewer emergency room visits and hospitalizations.
Dr. Shield’s urgent care house calls are available for people of all ages. She offers visits during typical urgent care hours, including afternoons, evenings, and all day on Fridays and Saturdays. To learn more or schedule an appointment, visit UrgentMDRI.com.
For many people on Aquidneck Island and Jamestown, a house call by a local doctor may offer a welcome layer of support at a moment when care feels hardest to access.
Helen Hames is an Aging Advisor and Founder of Age Ambassador,based in Rhode Island. She works with older adults and their families to navigate decisions around aging at home or transitioning to senior living, recognizing the needs and priorities of today’s older adults continue to evolve with each generation. Helen’s approach centers on understanding what matters most to each individual and helping families plan with intention, clarity and compassion. Helen was honored with the 2025 Senior Champion of the Year Award for her advocacy and personalized guidance that supports older adults in living fully through every season of life.
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