What is urgent care? Unfortunately, many of us still don’t know the answer to that question. Often, we associate an urgent care facility with lesser care, when that couldn’t be further from the truth. We tend to think of urgent care as rushed care. In fact, urgent care involves as much time taken as you need. If you’re in a hurry to have a cut looked at on your way to work, then the visit will be quick. If the medical professional doesn’t think that you’re healthy enough to go to work, then they’ll let you know as any medical professional would. At an urgent care facility, you get high quality care more conveniently and often with a much smaller price tag than the care you would receive at the emergency room. But there are many more advantages to choosing urgent care. Among other things, you can count on urgent care to be available at virtually all hours, with a high level of anonymity and sensitivity to your unique circumstances. Let’s look into what urgent care means today, and why it may be a better option for you than rushing to the emergency room.
Urgent Medical Care And Shorter Wait Times
You would perhaps think that the option of urgent care would equal more patients, and therefore, a longer wait time. This is perhaps the case at a hospital emergency room, where patients are known to wait hours upon hours for care that costs thousands of dollars. Despite what its title implies, an emergency room often only sees patients immediately if they are in dire condition. An urgent care facility, on the other hand, is known for seeing patients quickly and in as convenient a manner as possible. You won’t have to wait hours for care at an urgent care facility. You’ll be treated like a priority. The Urgent Care Association of America reports that 57% of patients in urgent care centers are seen within 15 minutes, with 80% of all visits lasting for less than an hour. Furthermore, typically the 60% of urgent care centers have a wait time of 15 minutes or less to see a mid-level provider or above. Meanwhile, the 65% of physicians have a physician on-site at all times. That’s right — urgent care centers are not a place for medical professionals who couldn’t become doctors. The people working at urgent care centers really care about what they do, and about 50% of all urgent care centers are owned by a physician or a group of physicians.
Urgent Care Centers: A Variety Of Treatment Option
Urgent care centers provide a number of different services. As previously discussed, they are provided by medical professionals, and involve as much confidentiality as a typical doctor’s office. You may go to an urgent care center for fractures, as many are able to treat typical fractures. At the same time, you can go to an urgent care center for stitches, and expect to receive quality care. Many urgent care centers offer prescriptions for medications. Some also help people suffering from everything from the flu to a cold. Many are surprised by the variety of options urgent care centers provide in regards to care. With that being said, you shouldn’t go to an urgent care center and expect them to perform overly complex procedures on you. You will be referred to a hospital if your ailment is too severe. The hours of urgent care centers and their low prices do allow for a certain amount of convenience. You can also get extremely private and personal procedures done at urgent care centers. Even STD testing can be done at urgent care centers — and you will not be judged for taking advantage of that service.
Urgent care centers are not for everyone. But they are great options for those who need quality medical care fast. Therefore, you should take advantage of it!