Urgent Care: A Better Alternative
It is Saturday afternoon. Your child is skipping down the sidewalk and falls, landing on his or her arm. Judging from the screams, you are sure that the arm is broken or at least sprained. What do you do? Most likely, the pediatrician's office is not open, and you are not excited about the idea of spending the next several hours in the emergency room, waiting to be seen. If there is an urgent care clinic nearby, your afternoon may not be completely ruined.
Urgent care clinics are increasing in popularity, and for good reason. They are often much quicker and less expensive than the emergency room, and they are open at times when your primary care physician usually isn't. Here is a closer look at some of the benefits of using an urgent care clinic.
Better Alternative to the Emergency Room
Because urgent care clinics generally only treat less severe injuries and illness, you are much more likely to get in and out relatively quickly, as opposed to sitting in the waiting room of the ER for several hours. This is because people in more critical condition are often given preference in the emergency room.
Urgent care clinics are also encouraged by insurance companies because they are not considered specialty services. For this reason, your insurance company is more likely to cover a visit to urgent care versus a visit to the ER, especially in the case of a non-life-threatening injury or illness.
Walk-ins are Welcome
If you have ever had to wait several days for an appointment with your primary care physician, you can certainly understand the benefit of being able to walk into a clinic in order to get needed medicine for an illness. In the event of a long weekend, or a particularly busy doctor's office, an urgent care clinic can be a lifesaver.
This is also helpful if you do not have a primary care physician in an area. While it is generally good to establish a working relationship with a specific doctor, it often takes a while for a new patient to get into the doctor's system, and if you are needing medical attention right away, an urgent care clinic may be a good place to start.
So, the next time you are in need of a quick trip to the doctor, or have an emergency that is not life-threatening, check out an urgent care clinic, like Urgent Care of Stafford. The speed, quality, and cost may surprise you.
Share