Many of life’s plans do not turn out as expected.
A family camping trip that is supposed to serve as a weekend reunion with aunts, uncles, cousins, and grandparents can result in a broken ankle after a rather rough flag football game.
A three day gymnastics training camp can and unexpectedly with a twisted knee after just the first few hours of training.
A weekend project to fix the steps on the deck involves a smashed toe from a dropped hammer.
Even and I’m scheduled and relaxed long weekend at home can and and the youngest member of your family coming down with a fever, chills, and persistent cough that makes you worry.
Life’s unexpected events can put a quick end to all kinds of plans. Worse yet, an unexpected event that leads to a trip to the hospital emergency room can be both expensive and time consuming. In an attempt to avoid long waits and expensive fees, however, some people visit urgent care clinics for treatments and services.
The Best in Urgent Care Services Provide Flexible Hours
Approximately 60% of all urgent care centers have a wait time of less than 15 minutes to see a mid-level provider or physician. These short wait times are due in part to the flexible hours that are offered. Part of the hold up in many pediatric or primary care physician offices is the double scheduling that occurs to get patients in to see a doctor in a very short menu of open hours. An urgent care setting, however. is generally open for extended hours in the evening and sometimes on weekends as well.
In fact, 97% of all urgent care centers in 2014 were open seven days a week. Additionally, 99% were open at least four hours a day. Flexible hours often mean that parents can get their sick children into see someone in the evening and begin any necessary treatment right away. Injured athletes do not have to wait for a Monday morning appointment after getting hurt in a Friday night game. Flexible hours and convenient locations make urgent care settings a perfect solution to many of life’s interrupted plans.
The Best in Urgent Care Services Charge Affordable Prices
Emergency room visits are known for their high price tags. In fact, research indicates that a case that can be treated in an urgent care setting may cost $226, but that same case handled in a hospital emergency room might cost an average of $2,039. The minimal expense to run a small clinic compared to the price of running a large hospital emergency room accounts for much of the difference.
When families can choose, an urgent care visit is often more affordable. And even though the price tag may be much less, that does not mean that the services will suffer.
The Best in Urgent Care Services Offer a Full Range of Treatments
Even though urgent care settings offer extended and more flexible hours and they can be more affordable, the menu of care choices can still be extensive. From flu shots to x-rays, many urgent care settings have more diagnostic services than a typical pediatric or primary care physician can offer. Some locations even have onsite pharmacies that can make filling a prescription very convenient.
Many urgent care centers even list the services they provide on a web site or at their locations so that patients do not have to waste their time visiting two locations, for example, one for an appointment, a second for an x-ray.
The Best in Urgent Care Services Are Staffed with Trusted Experts in Emergency Care
Approximately 65% of quick care settings have a physician on-site at all times. Some estimates indicate that America will need almost 52,000 additional primary care physicians by the year 2025. This increased need is the result of an aging population as well as more and more consumers gaining access to health insurance coverage. According to the article, Projecting U.S. PrimaryCare Physician Workforce Needs: 2010-2025, the nation will need to continue to increase the number of physicians to meet this growing demand.
Although past health care was offered in primary care physician’s offices and emergency rooms, quick care clinics may be the answer to the expected future needs.