The American healthcare industry is in the midst of a revolution it seems, between the introduction of Obamacare as well as the continued demand for convenient, affordable, and quality healthcare. Urgent care centers are focused on bridging the gap between booked primary care physician offices and overburdened hospital emergency rooms.

One regarded as “doc in a box clinics, urgent care facilities operate mostly on a walk in basis, and specialize in treating acutely occurring medical conditions that require immediate medical care, yet aren’t sever enough to warrant a visit to the emergency room.

Urgent care centers are continuing to increase in popularity. One study revealed that nearly 3 million patients visit urgent care centers across the United States each week and it’s easy to see why. Not only do urgent care clinics provide excellent medical services, the majority do so on a walk-in basis, with most patients being seen and treated in under an hour.

However, technology is helping to make visiting an urgent center even easier, by expediting the process of checking in. Some urgent care centers are now beginning to offer remote check in services, which means no more sitting in the waiting room. With remote check-in, patients have the freedom to go about their day, while waiting for a return email or text message notifying them regarding their status in line, and when they can come into the clinic. This allows patients to be seen and treated at a time that best fits their schedule.

Technology is also going a step further in regards to healthcare. With the advent of the smart phone, most people have trouble imaging using anything else. As such, a university professor is in the process of developing a “stress phone”, or device with built-in diagnostic capability that can actually monitor human body function. This device and others like it would be used to monitor long term stress management, nutritional awareness or deficiencies, and even viral levels in HIV patients.

Science, technology, and engineering have the potential to radically change the domestic healthcare landscape by enabling earlier detection of diseases, which in turn can significantly reduce the cost of healthcare delivery, and also empower patients to take control of their own well being.

An apple a day may keep the doctor away, but in modern healthcare, patients have more options than ever before. Find out more here.