Reasons To Consider An Urgent Care Over A Hospital Visit
When you have a medical emergency, you don't always need a hospital, but you may not be able to wait for an appointment with your family doctor. The option to visit urgent care is sometimes better than going to the hospital but may not be right in every situation. Here are some reasons to consider urgent care over a hospital visit.
Fast and Efficient
Anytime you go to the doctor you want to feel like you have a solution to the medical issue you are having, and a trip to the emergency room or urgent care is no different, Many times the emergency room is busy and even overwhelmed with patients so the wait time can be long and frustrating. If you can't wait, visiting urgent care might be better and the wait times are often lower. Because the types of emergencies are different with urgent care, you may get a doctor that can spend more time with you and help with our medical need.
Cost of Urgent Care
For people that don't have insurance, the cost of urgent care is often lower than that of an emergency room visit. The hospital has more resources, but for a sprained ankle or a flu bug, the urgent care can do just as much for you as the hospital. If you do have insurance, the copay or deductible is often lower for a visit to urgent care, but that alone should not deter you from going to a hospital if you feel you need to.
What Can Urgent Care Handle?
Most urgent care centers can handle common emergencies. Injuries like strains, sprains, and some fractures are standard, as well as, stitches or illnesses like the flu. An urgent care center is like a small hospital in a lot of ways and will have a full staff of doctors and nurses to treat you. If you are having chest pain or symptoms of a stroke or other major medical emergency, it is still better to head to the hospital but if you need a doctor to look at the ankle you twisted or your back pain you are having, urgent care might be the way to go.
Small and Large Urgent Cares
The size of the urgent care you visit can make a difference in what they can treat. An urgent care center is different than the urgent care in the local drug store. While they both have their place, the drug store urgent care can't do an x-ray, and diagnostic testing, so it is only recommended for minor injuries or illnesses.
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