Where Do You Go When Someone in Your Family Needs Healthcare on the Weekend?

Fortunately, when you made the 5:30 am phone call the substitute teacher agreed to come in and cover for you for the day. Without going into too many details you explained that your husband had an abscess that you were certain would require a trip to the hospital. Not wanting to pay emergency room fees, however, you made a phone call into your family physician’s after hours number and were able to secure an early morning appointment. The person covering the after hours number, of course, said that you could go into an urgent care clinic if you wanted, but assured you that your husband could have the first appointment in the morning.

There are many times when the easy and most convenient answer is to visit the closet urgent care clinic, but there are times when other health care platforms work as well. Whether you are dealing with an unexpected abscess in the middle of the night or a possible sprained ankle on a weekend, it is always important to make sure that you carefully consider all of the available options.

How Do You Decide Where You Go to Get the Health Care That You Need?
Obviously, if you are facing an emergency health condition then it is essential to immediately go to the nearest hospital emergency room. In some cases this even involves calling 911. There are many other times, however, when another health care platform is the more logical choice. You do not, for instance, go to the hospital for your routine yearly flu shot. Likewise, it would be foolish to spend money on an expensive hospital emergency room visit if all you need is a test to see if you have strep throat.
In fact, urgent care centers are a great option for may of the health conditions that people deal with on a regular basis. From an unexpected fever to a possible sprained ankle, there are many times when the most affordable, convenient, and effective way to get the care that you need is from the closest walk in clinic. Given that U.S. urgent care centers handle an average of three patient care visits every hour and 50 visits a day, there are many who agree. In fact, these statistics from accord the Urgent Care Association are an indicator that this health care platform is an increasingly popular option. This is further supported by the fact that nearly 97% of patients who visit urgent care centers are in the right place for the treatment they need, while a mere 3% of urgent care visitors need to be diverted to emergency departments.

Urgent care clinics can help you and your family stay healthy and get the questions that you have answered in a convenient and affordable platform.