Currently, there are roughly 20,0000 practitioners who practice Urgent Care Medicine today, and the number seem not to stop anytime soon. These physicians have transformed the Urgent Care Medicine, and also the field of walk-in urgent care to be something admirable in the medical sphere. First and foremost, an urgent care center is a type of medical approach in treatment and care, which is centered towards efficiency, affordability and timely care delivery.
In the United States alone, there are about 9,300 walk-ins, independent urgent care facilities with 50-100 new centers open yearly. Although, this figure keeps changing with random buy overs, mergers, and expansions. If you have a medical condition that demands immediate attention, you should perhaps visit a walk-in urgent care facility where you’ll get fast healthcare services. Typically, this facility offer treatment for common ailments including, sprains and strains, minor burns, rashes, skin infections, stitching cuts, animal bites and other minor common ailments.
While not all walk-in urgent care facilities focus on emergency care, there are some that still offer emergency medical and urgent services for patients with dire medical need. Additionally, some of the urgent care centers offer diagnosis and vaccinations without necessarily booking an appointment. They deliver a fast medical approach that tries to eliminate some of the bottleneck procedures in acquiring health services. With varying policies governing various urgent care centers, it’s possible for you to find a center that accepts a number of insurance plans that goes along way to alleviate frustrations associated with medical costs and payments.
Unlike emergency rooms and hospitals, walk-in urgent care health care option encourage regular check-ups, which is what most doctors recommend as a pro-active measure toward healthy living. If you work long hours and have limited time to access healthcare services, such facilities offer you the convenience to do so.
However, as much as this health care option is effective and efficient to some of you, it has its limitation. Firstly, it’s the inability to attend to more life-threatening health issues. In case you have a severe condition, you should perhaps consider going to the nearest hospital instead. Although, these emergency centers often have cost implications, and you can suffer massive financial drain if you were not prepared.
The second disadvantage of walk-in urgent care facilities is that you will likely not be attended by the same physician after a repeat visit. Also, No record of you is stored if you are not a regular patient there. That means that the doctor treating you lacks enough medical history to offer a comprehensive medical assessment.
In addition, you can get uncomfortable talking about your health issues with a stranger, even when the stranger is an urgent care physician. While these facilities are not common in remote areas, you would have to consider an alternative option such as hospitals and emergency centers, where you will most likely incur higher bills.
Depending on your immediate heath condition, the benefits of walk-in urgent care clinics can outweigh the disadvantages, or vice versa. Lastly, staying informed with various health care options out there, you stand a better chance of getting quality medical care by thoroughly making assessments on prevailing medical-related situation that affects either you or your family.
