Feeling under the weather? Skip the ER waiting rooms and try visiting urgent care.
The urgent care movement started in the United States in the 1970s. Since then, it’s grown to include many locations around the world. There are over 8,000 urgent care centers in the US alone, and many are located in freestanding buildings, not hospitals. Around three million patients visit these urgent care centers each week.
What is Urgent Care?
Traditionally, urgent care centers are designed to lighten traffic to overcrowded emergency rooms by treating non-life threatening injuries and illnesses. These may include ear infections, strains, fevers and vomiting, among many others.
After the initial evaluation and treatment, patients are often advised to follow up later with their primary care physician.
However, more and more urgent care locations across the country are adding lab services, X-rays and routine physicals for a wide range of patients in addition to evaluating and treating non-life-threatening conditions.
About two-thirds of urgent care centers have a combination of physicians, physician assistants and nurse practitioners in their employ. At least one physician is on-site 24/7 at 65% of urgent care centers.
What Are the Benefits of Urgent Care Services?
An Urgent Care Association of America survey revealed that 75% of patients who visit urgent care locations wait only 15 minutes or less to be seen, and 80% of all visits take 60 minutes or less from start to finish. This makes urgent care a great option for patients on the go.
Treatment at urgent care locations is often significantly cheaper as well. A typical visit to the emergency room of a hospital costs $1,500 on average, while urgent care center visits cost under $150 on average. Because of this, urgent care also benefits individuals without insurance who would have to pay significantly more out of pocket to visit a physician’s office or emergency room.
Consider an urgent care center the next time you’re not feeling your best.
More can be found here: doctorsexpressenglewood.com