When to Get Urgent Care

Urgent care is a critical part of the health care delivery system today. Many problems that end up in the emergency room could easily have been handled in an urgent care facility. Not only is this more convenient and cost effective for the consumer but it is also that for the health care delivery system as well. Forty five to sixty five of emergency room cases could have been handled through urgent care, according to a private study conducted by Milliam.
What is the difference between urgent and emergency care? For instance, common fractures can usually be treated at an urgent care facility whereas more serious issues should be taken to a local hospital for emergency services. Four out of five urgent care clinics treat fractures and most of these centers have a wait time of less than 15 minutes to see a provider. Compare that to the wait times we have all heard of in the emergency rooms and it pays to know when to go to the local hospital emergency room and when to go to a nearby urgent care clinic.
You might ask yourself, where are the urgent care services near me? Which is the closest urgent care to my location? How much is an urgent care visit? When considering urgent care vs emergency room cost, you can be sure that it is significantly less than an emergency room visit. Considering what urgent care can do, the treatment costs are significantly less, too.
According to the Urgent Care Association of America, about 3 million patients visit urgent care centers a week. So you can see that it has become a vital part of health care delivery today and it pays to be prepared.
The common cold is also treated by urgent care centers, and we all know how common that is. Americans get over 1 billion colds a year and children are even more prone. The average child growing up contracts about six to 10 colds a year, all of which can be treated at an urgent care center initially and certainly, at least initially, a cold does not warrant an emergency room visit.
Many children, as we know is common, get ear infections. It is also common for them to have repeated ear infections, hay fever, respiratory allergies, sin allergies and even food allergies. So it is best and important, if you have children, to also find pediatric urgent care near you. And you might want to ask yourself, do I have a pediatrician near me?
Urgent care can work for you. Once you know more about what to go to urgent care for and what to go to an emergency room for, the system can work for you, saving you time, pain, money and possible frustration.