Did you know that an estimated 35% of emergency room visits in the United States could have been resolved faster and at a cheaper cost had they been treated at an urgent care facility? These are just two of the many benefits urgent care centers offer their patients, from shorter waiting times to easy accessible hours and locations. These factors not only help their patients, but also reduce pressure on local doctors offices and emergency rooms. Should your next medical condition be treated at an urgent care clinic? Read on to find out.
One of the first and most obvious advantages of walk in clinics are the urgent care hours, during which urgent care clinics are open to treat patients. The American Academy of Urgent Care Medicine requires urgent care centers in the United States to be open for business 7 days a week. Additionally, an estimated 70% of urgent care centers in the U.S. are open by 8 AM. This makes their medical service convenient and easy to access for many patients with non-life-threatening medical problems, making them less likely to turn to an emergency unnecessarily.
Urgent care centers are also beneficial because of their fast treatment times: not only are urgent care centers easy to quickly locate, with an estimated 75% of urgent care facilities found in suburban areas, but the Urgent Care Association of America reports that 80% of patients wait 15 minutes or less for treatment. Similarly, an estimated 80% of urgent care visits are completed within an hour or less.
From convenient urgent care hours to short waiting times, urgent care centers offer a variety of benefits to their patients. However, the best thing an urgent care facility can offer is quality medical care: urgent care centers are typically required to be managed by licensed physicians and can evaluate the needs of a patient and prescribe antibiotics, pain medication, and other treatment methods in a single visit. Moreover, the typical urgent care visit is 40 to 50% less expensive than a trip to the emergency room. For this reason, urgent care clinics are typically the best option for treating your non-critical medical condition. Research urgent care locations in your area to be prepared for your next medical problem.
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