Telehealth care in Chicago, Illinois.

No. Wade’s Care First is a telehealth practice. You join your visit by secure video from home, work or anywhere in Illinois, and Charles Wade, FNP-BC is licensed to treat you while you are in the state. Anything that needs hands-on care is coordinated with facilities in and around Chicago, such as Northwestern Memorial Hospital, 251 E. Huron St. (emergency department; lab and imaging services at several downtown pavilions), Rush University Medical Center, 1620 W. Harrison St, John H. Stroger, Jr. Hospital of Cook County, 1969 W. Ogden Ave. (Level 1 trauma center; about 120,000 emergency visits a year) and University of Chicago Medical Center, Hyde Park (Level 1 adult trauma center since May 2018).

Quest Diagnostics patient service centers across the city, including Chicago Loop (111 N. Wabash Ave., Ste 1514), Blackhawk (1460 N. Halsted St.), inside Jewel-Osco at 424 W. Division St., inside the Bedford Park Walmart (7050 S. Cicero Ave.) and Oak Lawn (10837 S. Cicero Ave.). Hospital outpatient labs: Northwestern Medicine lists lab services at the Lavin Family, Arkes, Galter and Olson pavilions; Rush lists laboratory sites at 1725 W. Harrison St. and 1700 W. Van Buren St. We send the order electronically to a location that is convenient for you or in your insurance network. Results come back to us for review with you.

Northwestern Memorial Hospital, 251 E. Huron St. (emergency department; lab and imaging services at several downtown pavilions), Rush University Medical Center, 1620 W. Harrison St, John H. Stroger, Jr. Hospital of Cook County, 1969 W. Ogden Ave. (Level 1 trauma center; about 120,000 emergency visits a year) and University of Chicago Medical Center, Hyde Park (Level 1 adult trauma center since May 2018). For chest pain, trouble breathing, stroke symptoms, severe bleeding, a major injury or thoughts of harming yourself, call 911 or go to the nearest emergency department rather than booking a video visit.

Access Community Health Network (33 locations in Chicago, Cook and DuPage counties; Health Center Program grantee), Erie Family Health Centers, Esperanza Health Centers (Brighton Park campus; Health Center Program grantee), Lawndale Christian Health Center, Alivio Medical Center, Chicago Family Health Center, Howard Brown Health and More than 160 FQHC clinic sites operate in the Chicago area (UIC School of Public Health) serve the area with in-person primary care on a sliding scale. Many patients pair that kind of local clinic with telehealth for follow-ups, medication management and specialist coordination.

Many plans are accepted and benefits are verified before your visit. BCBS / Anthem PPO, UnitedHealthcare PPO, UMR (PPO), Aetna PPO, Cigna PPO, Humana PPO, Ambetter PPO, Illinois Medicaid, Meridian Health Plan of Illinois, Aetna Better Health of Illinois, TRICARE. Illinois Medicaid is run by the Illinois Department of Healthcare and Family Services (HFS). Most members are enrolled in HealthChoice Illinois, the statewide managed care program; HFS says members have at least four health plans to choose from depending on where they live, and about 2.4 million of roughly 3.1 million Illinois Medicaid enrollees are in a HealthChoice Illinois plan. HFS lists these HealthChoice Illinois plans: Aetna Better Health of Illinois; Blue Cross Community Health Plan (Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Illinois, the largest MCO with about 700,000 members); CountyCare Health Plan (Cook County only, operated by Cook County Health); Meridian Health Plan (Meridian also runs YouthCare for former youth in care); and Molina Healthcare. In June 2026 HFS announced new HealthChoice Illinois contracts starting January 1, 2027 with six MCOs: Aetna Better Health of Illinois, Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Illinois, Humana, Meridian, Molina Healthcare, and CountyCare for Cook County. Current contracts run through December 31, 2026, so plan options may change at the start of 2027. Coverage varies by plan, and self-pay pricing is posted if your plan is not accepted.

HRSA lists dozens of designated primary care HPSAs in Cook County, including geographic HPSAs for West Englewood (designated March 2026), East Side and Lawn, and low-income population HPSAs for Englewood, East Garfield Park, Grand Boulevard, Woodlawn, Hyde Park, Uptown, Albany Park and Armour Square; mental health HPSAs include South Chicago and Brighton Park. Designated Medically Underserved Areas include the Austin, Humboldt Park, Brighton Park/Gage Park, Kenwood, West Ridge and Rogers Park service areas. Telehealth can complement local clinicians by offering another way to access primary care, mental health and medication follow-up while you keep your local relationships.

When clinically appropriate, we can send orders to a laboratory or imaging facility you choose. Confirm that the location performs the requested test, accepts the order and participates in your insurance network. Availability and travel distance vary by community.