In a time when a growing number of people are getting access to affordable health care it should come as no surprise that the health care industry itself is looking at ways to make sure that they can service an increasing number of patients. One of the platforms in America that makes health care more affordable, convenient, and effective is the urgent care platform. With thousands of clinics that provide walk in care without a long wait and an expensive overhead fee, in fact, urgent care medicine continues to be an avenue that more and more people are considering when they are looking for the health care that they need.
Walk In Clinics Are an Affordable Way to Keep Your Family Healthy
From the yearly flu shot to an x-ray that you need after a serious ankle roll at basketball practice, there are few health care options that are more affordable than urgent care clinics. Sometimes with standard prices posted on the wall or on their website, it is comforting to know that when you go to an urgent care clinic you will not need to pay the expensive fees of a hospital emergency room.
The most common diagnosis in an urgent care center in 2012 was upper respiratory condition, and the most common procedure was wound repair, so it is nice to know that both of these conditions can affordably be treated in an urgent care setting. Even though you may have insurance for the first time ever through the affordable care act, it is important to understand how your copays and deductible works. Paying too much for a small medical check up is never a good idea.
Urgent Care Locations Are Convenient
An estimated 3 million patients visit urgent care centers every week, according to the Urgent Care Association of America. This number is often attributed to the fact that the care they administer is so convenient. Without the need for an appointment, most urgent care patients care clinics are open seven days a week, and many of them have evening hours that extend beyond the times when a family pediatrician or physician office would be open.
Located in the middle of busy cities, as well as in strip malls in the suburbs, these walk in options some times even post on an outside time how long the wait will be. Knowing that you can get the care that you need without having to make an appointment weeks in advance or wait hours to see a doctor is one of the major advantages of any local walk in clinic.
Convenient Health Care Clinics Offer Many Reliable Services
The fact that the majority of walk in clinics are owned by a group of doctors means that they provide many of the same services that you can get if you are in a hospital emergency room or your family physician’s office. And while it is always important to go to the hospital or call an ambulance in a medical emergency, it is also important to know that there are a wide range of conditions that can be treated by the talented doctors and nurses at a walk in clinic.
We live in a time when health care costs have sky rocketed, but it is comforting to know that there are some Americans who have access to insurance for the first time. Part of being a wise health consumer, however, is knowing where and when to seek the medical care that you need. Often, these needed services are available at a walk in clinic that is affordable, convenient, and reliable.