What is urgent care center?

Emergencies like life threatening that includes heart attack, or if one gets a serious head injury needs to visit the emergency room (ER) or also known as emergency department. Also illness that is not that life threatening but the patient can’t wait for the next day also requires to be treated at emergency care center or urgent care center. Quality health care with easy access is given to the patients for the primary care when outdoor physicians are not available.

Commitment of Physicians at urgent care center is to give the treatment to the patients with high quality medical care at days, nights and also on holidays. Patients with acute, non-life threatening conditions and injury are also treated at urgent care centers.

When to visit urgent care center? (1)

People mostly confuse urgent care with emergency rooms but urgent care center is a room outside the emergency to control the rush of emergency departments and minor issues are treated at urgent care center. According to the study conducted by NATIONAL CENTER FOR HEALTH STATISTICS shows the result that about 48 percent patients visited to the emergency room but did not have any serious or life threatening problems. Also, they were not admitted to the hospital and this problem was because no doctor’s clinic was open at that time when they needed the services.

Dr. Evans says that patients with minor injuries or illness visit emergency room just because they don’t realize that they have any other option. Urgent care centers give the same day treatment to the patients with variety of medical issues but urgent care should not be considered as a true emergency. Here are few symptoms that should be evaluated and according to the evaluation treatment is given at urgent care centers:

  • Fever without rash
  • Vomiting
  • Persistent diarrhea
  • Abdominal pain
  • Wheezing or
  • Shortness of breath
  • Dehydration
  • Mild or moderate flu like symptoms
  • Sprains and strains
  • A small cut that requires stitching

If a person knows about his or her symptoms and the diagnosis is already done like if a person is having Urinary tract infection or if your child is suffering from ear infection, then in that case you should visit your primary health care doctor only. This is because he knows about the family history and you can make same day appointment for the checkup. Also, your doctor knows well which treatment works better for you in regards to your previous medical history. However, urgent care centers are not the substitute or alternative option for primary physician care. While they are the last option for you when you really require medical care but your doctor is not available.

Why choose an urgent care center?

Immediate medical care is given to the patients at urgent care centers at low cost with high quality medicine one might need at that time. Emergency rooms are set to treat life threatening issues but the cost of that treatment is reflected in the bill. In short treatment given at urgent care center is comparatively low to emergency rooms. Also urgent care centers control the rush of emergency room by treating non-life-threatening issues so the staff of emergency room can focus on the patients who really need lifesaving care immediately.

Services provided at Urgent Care centers

There is a difference in the services of urgent care center, walk in clinics and emergency rooms. Here are some services that are offered at urgent care centers.

  • Vaccination: from seasonal flu to the specific flu of region is covered by giving vaccination for those who are planning an international tour. For that you don’t need to make an appointment for getting a common flu shot.
  • Non life threatening illness: you should always visit your primary health care physician for when you are not sure that you are suffering from cold or flu or something scary. But you can visit urgent care center when your doctor is not available.
  • Common illness:  common cold, ear infections and aches in stomach are treated at urgent care centers. Illness that we get throughout the year is also treated at urgent care centers.
  • Minor injuries: cuts, wounds, bumps, abrasions, sprain or strains or any minor fractures are treated at urgent care centers.
  • In-clinic diagnostics: diagnostics are done whether you have strains or break. They have the facility for doing X-rays, STD testing and laboratory work to give the best treatment available for the illness identified.
  • Lab services: minor testing is required sometimes to confirm the diagnosis and identify the disease to give plan for treatment. Blood testing is done at the lab to focus on how to treat you well.
  • Wellness care: physicals related to sports or work out are also treated at urgent care centers.
  • Pediatrics: from minor cut to minor cold, physicians who are child specialist can treat pediatrics for the illness.

Urgent care centers near you. (2)

Urgent care centers are in great progress for developing more centers as it is very useful in controlling the patient influx of emergency rooms. Here are some best urgent care centers in U.S.

Concentra Urgent Care:

About 518 centers of Concentra are working in states of U.S, Texas, Colorado and Illinois. They provide services of injury and physical therapy, screening of drugs and also provide services to the workers of nearby locations.

MedExpress Urgent Care:

They provide services for illness, wellness, health service for employer and injuries. They also provide services for patients during Covid-19 pandemic.

American Family Urgent Care:

In U.S centers of American urgent care are available in the states of Carolina, Massachusetts and New Jersey.

Next Care Urgent Care:

They provide basic care by giving their services in lab testing, pediatrics and immunization. They provide urgent care with high quality treatment at very optimal cost.

Tenet Health Urgent Care:

About 105 centers are operating in U.S in the nine states that are Florida, California and Texas. They provide the urgent medical Care with high quality treatments that includes injury, illness and other medical conditions.

References:

  1. https://physicianoneurgentcare.com/what-is-urgent-care/
  2. https://www.scrapehero.com/top-urgent-care-centers-in-the-us/