What mobile medical care means at Gateway
Mobile medical care in St. Louis can mean an urgent care service that visits homes, a van that parks at a community event, or a clinician who makes regular house calls. Gateway means one specific thing by it: planned visits for wound care and primary care follow-up, in the place where you live or are recovering.
The care is delivered by partner clinicians from treating practices. Gateway coordinates what surrounds the visit, including the request, scheduling, records, orders, supplies and follow-up. Every assessment, diagnosis and treatment decision belongs to the treating clinician.
Two kinds of care that can come to you
Wound care
A wound care clinician can assess and follow wounds such as diabetic foot ulcers, venous leg ulcers, pressure injuries and surgical wounds that are slow to close. A visit generally involves looking at the wound, measuring it, reviewing the dressing plan and deciding what should change. The page on mobile wound care in St. Louis describes this service in detail.
Primary care follow-up
A primary care clinician can review medications, follow long-term conditions such as diabetes and high blood pressure, order tests and make referrals. This matters for wounds too, because blood sugar, circulation and swelling all affect healing. See in-home primary care for who it helps and what a visit can cover.
You can ask about either one or both. When both are involved, Gateway helps the two clinicians share notes and orders, so you are not the one carrying messages between them.
Where mobile visits happen
Partner clinicians see people in:
- Private homes and apartments
- Assisted living and memory care communities
- Skilled nursing facilities
- Rehabilitation centers
Facilities can ask about facility wound rounds, where a clinician reviews residents with the nursing staff on a planned schedule.
When a test, procedure or specialist visit has to happen in an office or outpatient setting, Gateway can help with scheduling and transportation arrangements. Visit availability is confirmed by location and care setting. The service area page lists communities in Missouri and the Metro East.
How this differs from urgent and emergency care
Mobile medical care through Gateway is planned, ongoing care. It is not an on-demand service, and it is not built for sudden illness or injury.
Call 911 for:
- Chest pain or trouble breathing
- Signs of a stroke, such as a drooping face, arm weakness or slurred speech
- Bleeding that will not stop with firm pressure
- Fainting or a sudden change in alertness
Use urgent care or your clinician’s office for problems that need prompt attention but are not life-threatening. If a clinician is already treating your wound, report spreading redness, new or worse pain, fever, or more drainage or odor to that clinician’s office.
Planned mobile visits meet a different need: a wound that needs regular assessment over time, long-term conditions that need steady follow-up, and people for whom every trip to an office is a hardship.
From first call to follow-up
- You contact us. Call 314-325-0126 or send a request for care. The form takes a name and phone number only.
- We ask about the situation. We need to know where the person lives, what care is needed and who is already involved.
- We confirm availability. This depends on the location and the care setting.
- We gather records and schedule. With permission, we request recent notes, discharge papers and orders.
- The clinician visits. The treating clinician assesses, decides on the plan and writes any orders.
- We follow through. That covers supplies, referrals, the next visit and updates to the care team.
Who can ask for a mobile visit
Patients, family members and caregivers can call directly, with or without a referral. You do not need to know which kind of visit to ask for.
Hospitals, facilities, home health agencies and physician practices can refer a patient online, by phone or by fax at 314-786-7966. If a discharge is being planned, tell us where the patient is going so we can check availability for that address.
Coverage depends on the treating provider, the plan and the care needed. You can ask about Medicare, Medicare Advantage, Medicaid and commercial plans, and the insurance page lists questions to bring to that conversation.
Common questions
Is mobile medical care the same as home health?
No. Home health is a set of services, usually nursing and therapy, that an agency delivers under a clinician’s orders. The mobile visits Gateway arranges are with treating clinicians who assess, diagnose and write those orders. The two often work side by side. Our guide to home health and mobile wound care compares them.
Can someone come out today for a new problem?
Gateway does not promise visit timing, and mobile visits are not a substitute for urgent care. Availability is confirmed by location and care setting after we talk with you. If a problem is sudden or severe, call 911. For a less serious problem that cannot wait, use urgent care or call a clinician who knows you.
Can one request cover both wound care and primary care?
Yes. Tell us about both needs in the same call. The wound care and the primary care may come from different partner clinicians, and each makes the decisions in their own area. Gateway handles the scheduling for both and helps each clinician see the other’s notes and orders.
Do you arrange visits on the Illinois side of the river?
Gateway’s region includes the Metro East in Illinois along with Greater St. Louis in Missouri. Availability varies by community and care setting, so start by telling us the address or the facility name. We confirm whether a partner clinician can visit there before anything is scheduled.
Related pages
General information to help you talk with your own clinician. It is not medical advice, and the treating clinician makes every clinical decision. For a medical emergency, call 911.