Things To Consider When Choosing Urgent Care

1. What to Look for When Choosing Urgent Care

2. A hospital emergency room is the best place for people to go when they have severe chest pains, head and neck injuries, and lacerations with uncontrolled bleeding. Hospitals are a good choice as well when someone feels as though they are having a stroke or a heart attack. These conditions are considered life-threatening. Unfortunately, a great many people seek emergency room care when they could have been treated elsewhere. Over 130 million people visited an emergency room in 2010. Studies show that about 79% of these people went to the hospital because they did not have access to other medical care resources. Around 48% of patients went to the hospital simply because their doctor's office was not open. Hospitals become congested when people do not use other services. Urgent care locations help to cut down on this congestion. If you want to use an Urgent Care Clinic, there are some things you need to consider.

3. 1. Consider urgent care locations that are open 24 hours a day. Some urgent care centers only offer services during business hours. This can create a hassle for you if you need medical care late at night. Also, it can take some time to administer IVs and complete tests. If the urgent care center has limited hours, medical care may not be completed before the center closes. Contact urgent care centers directly to ask about hours of operation.

4. 2. Look for urgent care locations that take your health insurance. Urgent care centers are like hospitals, and accept a wide variety of insurance providers. Several types of insurance may not be accepted though. Contact your insurance company directly or speak with urgent care centers to see if insurance is accepted. Keep in mind that you may be charged the same copay or fee as you would if you went to the emergency room. Some insurance companies have been adding cheaper copays for urgent care visits, however, so you may actually save yourself some money by skipping the emergency room.

5. 3. Think about visiting an urgent care center that is managed by a physician. Most states require emergency room care facilities to operate under the supervision of a physician at all times. This means that the vast majority of the 9,000 urgent care centers in the United States have at least one physician on staff. Along with physicians, nurses, x-ray technicians, and nurse practitioners are available to provide care. Some urgent care facilities provide dental emergency care and other specialty services. This means that a dentist, respiratory specialist, or pulmonologist may be available.

6. When you opt for an urgent care center to treat a sprain, strain, upper respiratory infection, fracture or other minor illness or injury, you not only save yourself time and money, but you will also be freeing up the resources at an emergency room, so that those with life-threatening conditions can get the help they need.