Do you have a primary care physician? If not, were you aware that conducting a primary care physician search can be simplified when you visit a walk in health clinic? While you may be interested in reading primary care physician reviews online, being able to meet a physician in person can assist you with making this important decision.
When you have urgent care needs, do you tend to visit a traditional hospital emergency room? You are probably aware that even when you have insurance, these visits cost considerably more than when seeing a physician or mid-level professional at a medical walk in clinic.
A recent report from the Medical Expenditure Panel Survey indicated that an average visit to the hospital emergency room can cost $1,318.00. Even the mean cost, at $615.00 per visit, is higher than a medical walk in clinic.
When an illness or condition is life-threatening, however, it is vital to go to the hospital. When this isn’t the case, physicians at a walk in health clinic are able to diagnose and treat a long list of illnesses and injuries.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported that elderly persons may experience depression, for example. This has been found to be the case for 3% to 13.5% of the elderly population. A primary care physician at an urgent care facility will be able to address this and other age-related conditions.
For adults over 65, it’s been found that roughly 1 in every 20 are experiencing some level of memory loss. Currently, there are approximately 30 million people throughout the globe that have dementia. This includes Alzheimer’s disease, which is a common dementia diagnosis. A primary care physician will be able to assist these individuals at a medical walk in clinic as well.
When conducting a primary care physician search, it’s also important to consider the time that you’ll need to wait to see a physician or other medical professional. During 2003 and 2009, for instance, the average time it took to be seen in a traditional emergency room was between 46.5 to 58.1. It is believed that waiting times have further increased. This is compared to an average waiting time of about 15 minutes at a local urgent care facility.
Since low cost health clinics are available, they provide an excellent alternative to visiting traditional hospital emergency rooms. When you engage in a primary care physician search, you’ll discover that urgent care facilities are able to treat a variety of illnesses and injuries with less waiting time and a much lower less cost.
