From time to time, it is very likely that you will find yourself needing medical attention. From something as simple as getting the flu shot to serious problems that need immediate attention, there is always the need for the right place providing the medical services you need. Hospital emergency rooms can be intimidating with their long wait times, multiple bills and usually high patient loads. So where do you go for medical care? An advanced urgent care center can be the answer.
Urgent care units have become fairly ubiquitous nowadays, with about 9,000 such clinics in the U.S. These clinics see almost 350 patients each week, and can be ideal for your medical requirements for many reasons. Let us take a close look at some of the advantages these urgent care clinics can provide you with over hospital emergency rooms –
- Save Costs – On an average, seeking treatment at an advanced urgent care center can be a lot less expensive than a trip to the ER. Hospitals have to deal with high carry-over costs and, not surprisingly, a trip to an urgent care clinic can save you anywhere from $228 to $583 for the same diagnosis. Also, a visit to the ER means that you can be separately billed from different departments and might end up with five or six bills, adding to the confusion. You only need to receive and pay one bill covering everything at an urgent care clinic.
- Save Time – Emergency rooms are built mostly to function as trauma centers, and the most serious cases get top priority. Consequently, there can frequently be long wait times. Since health clinics like urgent care centers do not cater to critical patients, you can expect lot less of a wait.
- Better Attention – Typically, ER doctors get to spend only a few minutes with each patient due to large patient volumes and particular requirements. At an urgent care center, your physician has the time and breathing space to spend more time on each patient.
- Easier Dispensing – At the ER, once you receive your prescription it is either a long wait at the usually overcrowded hospital pharmacy or a trip to a local one. The situation is a lot better at urgent care centers. Many of them have pre-packaged, ready to dispense prescription pharmaceuticals. Most of them even have a steady supply of intravenous fluid if the situation calls for that.
These important points clearly illustrate that going to an advanced urgent care center can be your preferred way of getting medical care. With less costs, added convenience and better attention overall, it can be a nice solution for all your medical problems.
