You have a bad stomach ache and it?s 9pm. You?re worried it?s something serious, but in all likelihood it?s not; at any rate, you?d rather not wait in emergency care for six hours while everyone with more serious problems is pushed ahead of you in line. So what should you do?
Today, you luckily have the option of visiting urgent care centers, which are set up around the country. Unlike a doctor?s office, you can walk right in — no appointment necessary. And unlike an emergency room, you?ll be seen quickly — usually within an hour of your arrival time, and very often, much sooner. Urgent care hours are more flexible than other medical establishments, which is convenient for people who work traditional nine to five hours and who don?t want to take a day off work to make their appointment.
Exactly what can you expect from a local urgent care location? What is urgent care? Let?s review.
All Minor Issues Can be Addressed Here
What is urgent care? Whether it?s stitches on the chin, a broken arm, a sore throat, or an STD test, an urgent care can likely handle it. These centers are focused on providing quick solutions to common ailments. They typically have numerous nurse practitioners on hand, as well as doctors associated with the center in case there is a serious problem.
What Can?t They Do?
Urgent care services are not a substitute for true emergency situations. If you are suffering from chest pains, for example, you absolutely want to get to a true emergency room, where they will be able to take care of you right away and will have the equipment and personnel on hand to handle what could be a serious problem (if you have a heart attack, for example). Any extreme issue that might require immediate care (like heavy bleeding) should go to the ER. But, an urgent care can handle most other things.
Highly Affordable
More and more health plans are spelling out their coverage of urgent care because of its high demand among consumers — and its ability to fill in the gaps that often exist in the healthcare world. Urgent cares are highly affordable. If you have to receive stitches in the emergency room, when all is said and done you might end up having to fork over more than $1,000 to be treated. If you?re at an urgent care, the price is usually 10% of this, or much more reasonably around $100 or so.
If you’ve been wondering “what is urgent care?” hopefully you understand now — let us know if anything wasn’t clear regarding what they do and don’t offer, and when!
