What to Know About Urgent Care Centers

No one plans to get sick or hurt, but it happens. For many people, anything more serious than a cold or a cut calls for a trip to the emergency room. This results in unreasonably long waiting times, high expenses, and overqualified doctors treating relatively minor conditions in most cases. A smart alternative to this is a 24 hour urgent care facility.

24 hour urgent care means you get treatment when you need it. 71 percent of primary care physicians do not offer after hours coverage, so if you break a bone late at night, you have to either wait in pain until the next day or find a better option for immediate treatment. Since so many people visit emergency rooms for non emergencies, the wait time can seem like forever. However, 57 percent of urgent care patients wait 15 minutes or less and 80 percent of visits last an hour at the longest. Conditions like sprains, fractures, upper respiratory ailments, food poisoning, concussions, and lacerations do not adequately fit the definition of medical emergencies. These can all be treated at 24 hour urgent care facilities, freeing up the emergency rooms for those that truly need them.

Some sicknesses we can prevent, and others we cannot. Either way, at one point or another, we all have to deal with it. 5 to 20 percent of Americans come down with the flu each year, sometimes even despite getting flu shots. A situation that can be embarrassing for many, but vital nonetheless is often best handled by urgent care. Most facilities also work as anonymous Std testing sites.

The next time you get injured or sick, think twice before running off to the emergency room. Most people that go there do not actually need to be there, which leads to long wait times and high bills. Instead, consider joining the 3 million people that visit urgent care centers every week. You will spend far less time and leave satisfied. Good references here.