Our countries medical model is constantly changing. In previous times, many years ago, the majority of medical care occurred in the home. If a person required medical care, they would have to send for the local medical doctor. As medical needs increased, hospitals were opened. During this time, the majority of medical care occurred in these hospitals. Eventually, physicians moved outside of the hospital and into their own offices, giving a better day to day medical care. The newest method of medical care is the urgent care setting. This multicare medical model is changing current medical care trends.
Increase in convenience
We are currently in a time when convenience is everything. We have the internet, which gives us information in seconds. We have mobile phones, which allow us to keep in touch from our fingertips. Even mapping applications give us the best routes to cut seconds off of our commuting times. With this shift in convenience, a more convenience medical model was also needed. Urgent care centers cut down wait times and make it so patients no longer have to make appointments. The medical care is at the patient?s fingertips, allowing them to choose when and how long they wait for their medical care. Multicare urgent care wait times are greatly reduced, removing the perception of wasted time when it comes to medical care.
Decrease in cost
The urgent care medical model is also more cost effective than previous models. Because physicians can see more patients in this new model, they can also charge less. More and more insurance providers are also accepting urgent care. The reduced costs also decrease the costs that insurance providers have to cover. Additionally, the reduced costs encourage patients to visit medical professionals for medical conditions that they might not have otherwise. Every year, Americans get approximately 1 billion colds. The increase in Americans receiving medical care in the urgent care medical model also decreases the costs of medical care. Although insurance providers are covering more urgent care costs, fewer patients end up requiring emergency care, which can be much more expensive.
Increase in physicians
The United States has a strong need for physicians. With so many urgent care centers opening up, more and more people are going to medical school. The increase of urgent care centers has increased the job openings. Currently, there are 20,000 physicians who practice Urgent Care Medicine today. The majority of urgent care physicians are also satisfied with this new medical model, which allows them to have greater flexibility over their working schedules and the number of patients that they see.
Better directed medical care
Chronic pain patients often go through many medical physicians and tests to receive a diagnosis. This more convenient medical model improves directed care, allowing patients to receive a diagnosis, and care, much quicker. For example, a patient with chronic back pain may see multiple primary physicians before ever being referred to a specialist. In a urgent care medical model, the physician is focused on immediate care and is much more likely to refer to a back specialist. The same goes with other chronic pain and health conditions. A Tacoma urgent care center or a multicare Tacoma urgent care location is more focused on quick care, than on securing a long time patient.
An estimated 3 million patient?s visit urgent care centers each week, according to the Urgent Care Association of America. Our country is shifting over to this new medical model. Patients enjoy the increase in convenience and the decrease in costs. Physicians enjoy the flexibility of seeing patients. Before long, it is likely that the urgent care medical model will be the preferred medical choice.
