Does it cost anything to use UHS?
Can I come to UHS without an appointment?
What should I do if I need medical care when you are closed?
What is considered an emergency?
What are the university's policies regarding COVID-19 isolation/exposure?
I'm missing some required immunizations. Can I get them at UHS?
How do I access my medical records?
How do I ensure that UHS can share my health information with my family members?
Can I get birth control at UHS?
Do I need to get tested for sexually transmitted infections (STIs)?
Who can use UHS?
UHS serves UMass Amherst students, faculty and staff, along with their spouses, domestic partners and dependents. Ill or injured visitors can be seen at UHS on a fee-for-service basis.
Does it cost anything to use UHS?
All full-time college students in Massachusetts are required to have health insurance, and all services at UHS are billed to insurance. Full-time students do not pay copays or coinsurance for provider visits at UHS! These are covered by your student fees.
For students with the Student Health Benefit Plan, most services at UHS are covered at no additional cost to you.
For students with other insurance, whether and how much you will pay out of pocket depends on your insurance plan, the service(s) you utilize, and whether UHS is considered in-network or out-of-network with your plan. For many plans, UHS is considered out-of-network. This means that you may be charged for health care you receive at UHS until your family meets their annual deductible.
For more details, call the customer service number on the back of your insurance card, or call UHS Patient Services: (413) 577-5192.
Can I come to UHS without an appointment?
Yes. Patients who need same-day urgent care without an appointment can join the virtual waiting room. You will receive a text message when it’s almost your turn to be seen.
Patients who have an urgent need that cannot wait can come directly to UHS without joining the virtual waiting room. When you arrive, tell the front desk staff that you need to speak with a triage nurse. (In a life-threatening emergency, call 911. UHS does not have an emergency room.)
Appointments are not necessary to use the UHS Pharmacy or to meet with Patient Services staff.
What should I do if I need medical care when you are closed?
After hours, if you want to speak with a nurse about a health question, or if you need health advice, please call (413) 577-5000 to reach our clinical answering service. A UHS provider is on-call at all times. In an emergency, call 911.
What is considered an emergency?
View our list of signs of a medical emergency.
What are the university's policies regarding COVID-19 isolation/exposure?
UMass Amherst follows the Massachusetts Department of Public Health (MA DPH) guidance for when an individual tests positive or exposed to COVID-19. Isolation (positive test) and exposure precuations are important steps to help stop the spread of COVID-19.
- If you test positive for COVID-19 (isolate) please review the following guidance.
- If you were exposed to someone with COVID-19, please review the following guidance.
If you have any questions, or to report your positive test results for additional public health guidance, please email testing@umass.edu or call (413) 577-8888 (messages will be returned Monday - Friday, 8 a.m. to 4 p.m.).
I’m missing some required immunizations. Can I get them at UHS?
Yes. All required immunizations are available at UHS by appointment. Call (413) 577-5101 to schedule.
How do I access my medical records?
Current patients can request their medical records on the UMass Patient Portal. Former patients and parents of pediatric patients must request medical records in writing. Visit our Medical Records web page for detailed instructions.
How do I ensure that UHS can share my health information with my family members?
Login to the UMass Patient Portal and complete the Communication Permission Form to let us know who we are allowed to share your health information with. If you need to make changes to this form, call the Nurse Triage Line: 413-577-5229. A nurse will delete your existing form and you will be able to complete a new form on the portal.
Can I get birth control at UHS?
Yes! Oral contraceptives (birth control pills) and emergency contraception can be prescribed, and IUDs, implants and diaphragms can be inserted or removed, by appointment in our Women’s Health Clinic or General Medicine Clinics. Call (413) 577-6511 for an appointment in Women’s Health Clinic, or (413) 577-5101 for a General Medicine appointment. Emergency contraception is also available without a prescription at the UHS Pharmacy.
Do I need to get tested for sexually transmitted infections (STIs)?
About 1 in 4 college students has an STI, and many STIs have no symptoms! All sexually active people should get tested for STIs (also known as STDs). Here are STI testing recommendations from the Centers for Disease Control (CDC):
- All sexually active women younger than 25 years should be tested for gonorrhea and chlamydia every year. Women 25 years and older with risk factors such as new or multiple sex partners or a sex partner who has an STI should also be tested for gonorrhea and chlamydia every year.
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All sexually active men who have sex with men should be tested:
- At least once a year for syphilis, chlamydia, and gonorrhea. Those who have multiple or anonymous partners should be tested more frequently (e.g., every 3 to 6 months).
- At least once a year for HIV and may benefit from more frequent HIV testing (e.g., every 3 to 6 months).
- At least once a year for hepatitis C, if living with HIV.
- Anyone who engages in sexual behaviors that could place them at risk for infection or shares injection drug equipment should get tested for HIV at least once a year.
- People who have had oral or anal sex should talk with their healthcare provider about throat and rectal testing options.
- Everyone who is pregnant should be tested for syphilis, HIV, hepatitis B, and hepatitis C starting early in pregnancy. Those at risk for infection should also be tested for chlamydia and gonorrhea starting early in pregnancy. Repeat testing may be needed in some cases.
- All adults and adolescents from ages 13 to 64 should be tested at least once for HIV.
How do I get tested for STIs?
If you have no symptoms and no known exposure to an STI positive or symptomatic partner, you can self-schedule an STI testing appointment at UHS using the UMass Patient Portal "Appts" page.
If you have symptoms, and/or a positive or symptomatic partner, call (413) 577-5101 to schedule an appointment with a UHS provider. For an appointment in Women's Health Clinic, call (413) 577-6511.
For more details, visit our Sexual Health web page.
How do I make sure that healthcare I receive at UHS (such as STI testing) is kept private from family members with whom I share an insurance plan?
If you receive healthcare services at UHS, your insurance provider may send an Explanation of Benefits (EOB) or Summary of Payment (SOP) to the insured person’s address. The EOB may list the date of the visit, the cost of the visit, the health care provider or visit location, and the type of service or visit.
If you have the Student Health Benefit Plan (SHBP), services are 100% covered, and no EOB will be sent.
If you are covered under a family member’s Massachusetts-based health insurance plan, the PATCH Act allows you to choose how and where your health insurance company sends your EOB. Here’s how:
- Find your policy number located on your health insurance card.
- Call the customer service number on your health insurance card and request that the EOB be sent to a different address or that you want to receive the form online. You can request that the EOB not be sent at all if you have no out of pocket costs.
- Fill out a request form in writing or online if required by your health insurance plan.
If you are covered by a family member’s non-Massachusetts-based health insurance plan, an EOB may be sent to your family member. To prevent this from happening, you have 2 options:
- You may be able to have billing information sent directly to you instead of to your family member. To find out if this is possible, you MUST call your insurance company. This is NOT automatic and won’t happen unless you call your insurance company and ask for it.
- You can opt to pay your bill entirely out of pocket at the time of your visit. If you do this, your insurance provider would not be involved, and no documents would be sent to your family member.
Any money owed for visits will be billed to the patient at the address we have on file in Medicat. Here’s how to update your address in Medicat.
If your health insurance company cannot send an EOB to you instead of your family member, and you cannot afford to pay out of pocket, speak with your UHS healthcare provider about other options.
