Dr. Norman Estin leads Doctors On Call.

WEST MAUI – For decades, Dr. Norman Estin, MD, has been the pioneering professional fueling the Doctors On Call (DOC) Maui Urgent Care Center movement on the West Side.

His fields of expertise are diverse and impressive, including emergency medicine, travel medicine, sports medicine and diving medicine: however, establishing an urgent care program for all residents and visitors is the motivating force that drives him.

Estin is armed with a positive attitude: “It will improve the quality of life in our community;” and, with this most recent announcement, he is one step closer to meeting his goals.

“All Kaiser patients can now seek urgent care medical services at DOC when their office on Wainee Street is closed,” Estin advised.

In an interview with Lahaina News, Estin defined urgent care. “Most people by now are very familiar with what urgent care is, and why it really is the key medical service in a community like ours. Urgent care is basically most things a regular family doctor would do plus all the minor emergencies, accidents, infections and illnesses that come along each day to all of us.”

Doctors On Call's main office is located at Honokowai Marketplace.

“This is a landmark breakthrough for our West Maui community,” Estin continued. “Residents and visitors no longer have to drive all the way to the hospital on the other side – and back again – for the after-hours or weekend treatment of common or urgent medical problems.”

The hub of the DOC network of offices, extending from Kaanapali to Kapalua, is centrally located at the Honokowai Marketplace at Times Supermarket.

It is conveniently open 365 days a year, 13 hours a day, from 8 a.m. to 9 p.m.

Along with Kaiser, DOC also accepts HMSA, HMA, HMAA, UHA, Blue Cross/Blue Shield and Medicare.

There are conditions, however, with regard to Kaiser patients, Estin noted.

“Ideally, Kaiser-insured patients should obtain phone approval of an advice-line nurse before coming to Doctors On Call, but that is not always possible, and it should not delay seeking care for any acute injury or illness,” the DOC founder said.

Additionally, Estin added, “Follow-up care or any specialist care will generally be through Kaiser, and they can get any required prescriptions through a number of local West Maui pharmacies when Kaiser is closed.”

DOC cannot provide any preventive or routine medical care to Kaiser-insured patients.

“That’s what their excellent staff on Wainee Street is for,” Estin advised.

Most importantly, Estin warned, “If it’s a life-or-death situation, call 911, the paramedics and get to Maui Memorial; otherwise, it’s Doctors On Call.”

In any and all cases, Estin leads a more than capable team of four fulltime physicians and a well-trained and experienced crew of PAs (physician assistants) and NPs (nurse practitioners).

“We function like a minor emergency room,” Estin observed. “We have full digital X-rays, the capability of evaluating cardiac patients, give breathing treatments, take care of fractures and lacerations and run IV fluids.”

Paige Williams is the chief administrator and managing director at DOC.

“She’s been just fabulous at motivating our staff and keeping all the managerial balls in the air. Paige and the rest of the team deserve all the credit for our continued growth and success,” Estin commented.

“Community is the most valuable asset we have on West Maui,” Estin concluded.

“It is where we live and breathe, where we raise our kids and teach them life values. We must rely on each other, not just for everyday support and activity, but also in times of joy, need and sorrow. The person I see in the office is going to be the same person I see on the wave, at the market or on the street.”