What are reasons to go to urgent care? They all start with your health.
When’s the last time you had a troubling health issue that you had to wait on because of your doctor’s incompatible schedule? How about visiting the emergency room out of a moderate issue…only to be saddled with an extremely high bill? One way or another, the American medical industry leaves many lacking. With the benefits of urgent care, you can finally start matching price with comfort. The 24 hour walk in clinic is designed, at its root, to put you first.
Advanced diagnostic and laboratory services. After hours pediatrics. Reliable medical care at a low cost is not too good to be true.
Today’s medical market is going through notable changes. Back in 2009 fewer medical school seniors selected ‘family medicine’ as their specialty than they did in 2008. Healthcare Appraisers has also determined the urgent care market to be highly fragmented, with operators owning less than three centers at a time. Despite this, urgent care is fast becoming the most reliable medical resource for most working Americans today. What are their reasons to go to urgent care?
A significant reason has to do with cost. A private study revealed a troubling statistic concerning emergency care episodes — as many as 45% to 65% could have been treated at an urgent care instead. Considering how high emergency room bills tend to be, this amounts to thousands of dollars potentially saved. Just 3% of patients who come to an urgent care center need to be diverted to emergency services, to boot. Imagine how much money you could keep in your rainy day fund by making the switch.
It’s not just cost that has Americans concerned, either. It’s quality of care. Being forced to wait on a late appointment by a family doctor can have a serious effect on your health. Over 90% of urgent care centers, for example, have a wait time of 30 minutes or less. The 2015 fiscal year was a particularly big one for urgent care centers, as well, seeing an average of 12,000 patients.
Even those might not be enough reasons to go to urgent care. What symptoms do urgent care symptoms treat, exactly? From breathing difficulties you can’t explain to a puncture wound in your leg, your walk-in clinic is very flexible. The Urgent Care Association Of America’s 2016 Benchmarking Report found the most common illnesses at clinics were upper respiratory infection, acute sinusitis, pharyngitis, cough, and bronchitis. Four out of five clinics, as well, treat fractures on-the-spot.
All these reasons and more add up to urgent care being today’s best medical option. Offering enough flexibility for everyday problems — and a little more for moderate ones — you can count on urgent care to support you, no matter what. Take a minute today to write down the hours and basic services of your local urgent care. These can vary depending on location and it’s common for centers to take Sundays or holidays off. Some clinics also require patients be seen on an ‘as needed basis’, or with a specific point of pain.
There are several reasons to go to urgent care. Embrace them all so you can start saving money and stress come 2020.