5 Reasons to Get Treatment at Your Local Urgent Care Center

 

Many of us have been in this situation. We become sick or are injured and need to see someone right away. The problem is that our doctor’s office is closed or they cannot fit us in right away. For a long time, the only thing people could do in those situations was go to the emergency room. There was no point asking, “is there a walk in clinic near me?” because the answer was no.

All of that changed in the 1970s. At the time, emergency room doctors saw a need for medical care people could get without making an appointment. They saw the difference between urgent and emergency medical care. These doctors opened the first urgent care centers in the United States. Since then, the idea took off. Today, there are roughly 6,800 urgent care locations all over the country and more and more are being built all of the time. That is a good thing because while there are nearly 110 million visits in the United States every year, not all of these people need to be seen in an emergency room. In fact, many of the problems that send people to hospital emergency rooms could be treated in urgent care clinics.

Here are some benefits to going to an urgent care or walk in clinic:

1. It is more convenient. Sometimes it can be hard to get an appointment with your primary care doctor or with pediatric care specialists. That is when asking your insurance carrier, “where is a walk in clinic near me?” can be a good idea. You can schedule appointments in advance but you can also just walk in, as the name suggests. This means you can get care when you need it and when you can get in to get it. You do not have to wait for your family doctor’s office to open.
2. It is less expensive. By far, the most expensive place to get health care is in the hospital emergency room. By contrast, you can get great care for less at walk in medical clinics. Because of this, most health insurance carriers have jumped on the bandwagon and now recommend their clients go to urgent care centers rather than the emergency room if that is an option. The copays they expect for urgent care centers is a lot less than what is charged when people go to the emergency room. Before you head out, it is worth it to call your health insurance carrier and ask, “is there a walk in clinic near me?” so you can go to the right place.
3. It is less stressful. When you go to the emergency room, it can be very stressful. There are ambulances coming and going. There are lots of people in there who have had all sorts of injuries and suffer from a host of illnesses. For children, especially, it can be very scary but the stress level that most people have is pretty high. None of that is true when you go to an urgent care center. It is a much more laid back and relaxed experience.
4. You will be seen quickly. When you go to the emergency room, you can wait hours before you are seen. This is because they have to treat people who are in worse shape than you before you. If someone comes in with a stroke after you get there, that person will be seen first. For most people who go to urgent care centers, the average wait to be evaluated is 15 minutes. The majority of people who get their care at these centers are in and out within an hour. That is much better than the emergency room!
5. There are a lot of problems that can be treated. You can have these things dealt with:
   • Sprains and strains.
   • Simple fractures.
   • Upper respiratory infections.
   • Dehydration due to nausea, vomiting, and diarrhea.
   • Urinary tract infections.
   • Moderate back pain.
   • STD testing.
   • Stomach problems.
   • Small cuts that need stitches.
   • Rashes.
   • Minor eye problems.andnbsp;

No one likes to be sick or injured. Before you find yourself in the situation where you need it, you should talk to your doctor or your health insurance carrier to ask, “where is a walk in clinic near me?” to be prepared.