Things You Should Know About Urgent Care Centers

For many years, the status quo for obtaining emergency room (ER) care at your local hospitals was that you had to be facing a life-threatening medical emergency in order to receive care at such facilities. That left you with no other option but to be seen by your primary care physician for a medical emergency. The trouble with this latter choice is that you could not obtain an appointment because there were no booking openings to fit you into the schedule. Now innovative urgent care service is available to you for your medical emergencies and other types of medical care.

What Exactly Is Urgent Care?

Urgent care is a walk-in clinic where you can go to be treated for illnesses and acute injuries that you've suffered, which require immediate care even though they aren't emergencies. Urgent care facilities practice later hours than primary care physician practices. You can seek care at an urgent care clinic right after your workday ends. You can also walk into and get medical care at 8 AM in some facilities. One of the privileges you encounter in this clinic environment is that you don't have to wait for long periods of time to be seen by a physician as you do in emergency rooms and other physician offices. You can be seen sometimes in approximately 15 minutes after you register at the front desk.

Types of Care At Urgent Care Clinics

The medical staff at urgent care centers treat a wide spectrum of medical conditions that include urinary tract infections, eye or ear issues, wounds or cuts and strep throat infections. Some centers provide immunizations and other medical services that facilitate travel and immigration needs. Many clinics perform laboratory testing such as X-rays and blood tests. Sprains and strains are also cared for in many of these facilities.

Less Expensive Charges

Urgent care is generally less expensive than emergency room services, and they charge lower co-pays as well. The clinics accept many types of health insurance. They're certainly more affordable for self-paying patients who have no insurance. Urgent care clinics provide one bill, and you will face no additional billing from outside companies as you would with a primary care physician visit or an ER visit.

Shorter Waiting Time

One of the privileges you encounter is that you don't have to wait for hours to be seen by a physician at an urgent care center as you do in emergency rooms. You may be seen in approximately 15 minutes after you register at the front desk. Note too that you are not required to schedule an appointment. Urgent care is a long-awaited service that is an asset to the health care industry. There is an increasing and rapid growth of these centers all over the country every year.

For more information, contact a local urgent care center.