Seven Reasons For The Growing Popularity Of Urgent Care Clinics

Sometimes the quickest and easiest way is actually the best way and urgent care centers, popularly known as a “walk-in-clinic” or a “doc-in-the-box”, help illustrate this point perfectly. When a health problem occurs, it does not come with advance notice, nor is it generous enough to occur when we have free time to deal with it. And in those situations, urgent care clinics come to the rescue like a true companion. We can examine the growing popularity of urgent care centers by taking a look at the following seven factors.

Extended hours of service- The biggest reason for the popularity of urgent care clinics is their extended hours of operation. Most urgent care clinics offer service from 7 am to 11 pm in order to be accessible to patients who cannot take leave to visit the doctor. By opening early they cater to patients who can visit before their office opens and by staying open late, they can help families with children home from school or employees who can only visit after finishing the day at the office. These extended hours are a significant benefit for those who are too busy to miss work or for those who are unable to postpone a meeting but at the same time can’t go to office without receiving treatment. Some urgent care centers also provide full services during weekends or on holidays which can be of immense help for people who might require urgent medical care during hours where their primary care doctor is closed.

Treatment without an appointment- Before the rise of urgent care clinics it was common practice, except for emergency situations, for people to make an appointment in advance to meet their family physicians.  That meant they had to suffer their through pain until their appointment. And when even a common headache can cause so much discomfort that focus is drawn away from work, time spent waiting for an appointment can cause serious losses in productivity. Here again urgent care clinics offer a convenient solution as you don’t need any prior appointment to see a doctor. That is literally why they are called walk-in-clinics.

Cost and Insurance- To be fair, the cost of treatment can vary from one clinic to another. But in general, when compared to the cost for similar treatment at other facilities, such as the ER, urgent care clinics are cheaper and more affordable. This is a substantial benefit for patients who lack insurance and need to pay for treatment themselves.  For those patients that do have insurance, the co-pays for treatment at urgent care clinics are typically less than those at an ER and are generally on par with a family physician.  And given that these clinics accept most types of insurance plans, patients will rarely need to worry about out of network costs.

Less time waiting- Patients who have a medical issue that isn’t life-threatening have two choices: 1) visit an emergency room or 2) visit an urgent care center.  Emergency rooms are designed to treat true life-threatening medical emergencies.  Patients are admitted based on the severity of their issue, meaning someone with a serious issue like a brain injury or a heart attack will be admitted before someone seeking treatment for an issue with less immediacy.  This order of priority can result in long wait times for someone with a non-life-threatening issue.  Since urgent care centers don’t treat emergency cases, the average time to treat each case is less and because they see patients on a first come, first served basis, patients will more accurately know how they will need to wait in order to see a doctor.

Best for common ailments- Common health problems like the flu, allergies, skin conditions, sinus problem, wounds and minor injuries, minor eye injuries, and upset stomachs can be effectively handled by the health professionals in urgent care centers. Treatment for these ailments are fairly standard and therefore don’t require specialized care in a primary or emergency care unit. However, while these problems may be minor, they do need urgent attention for quick relief from the pain and discomfort associated with their symptoms.  This is where urgent care centers are the best in providing the fastest treatment without any appointment and long wait times.

Availability in your location- Recent surveys have indicated that there are almost 10,000 urgent care clinics throughout the nation and this number is expected to rise to more than 12,000 in the next couple of years. This data indicates the high degree of likelihood that an urgent care clinic will be close to your location. If you search on Google or on online urgent care directories, you can find the location of nearest urgent care clinics with a map to give you directions.

Modern facilities and qualified physicians- Most urgent care clinics are well equipped with modern labs and instruments including X-Rays, ultrasounds, vaccines, and scanners to accurately diagnose your problem.  All of this equipment means that you do not need to go to other facilities for follow up tests. The health professionals at these clinics have typically trained as emergency care doctors and are well qualified to treat a wide range of issues. They can serve you like a family physician or may refer you to emergency care for critical issues. Or if you have chronic health problem that requires longer treatment, they can provide recommendations to an appropriate specialist.

Individual opinion may differ from person to person based on one’s experience in urgent care facilities, but thanks to the above factors, urgent care centers are without a doubt one of the fastest growing segments of our modern health care system.

Urgent Care Centers In California

There are many reasons why urgent care centers are growing in popularity, not only in California, but all across the country.  When you have a medical issue that can’t wait for an appointment at your regular doctor, there are generally two options that you can choose from.  You can either go to an emergency room at your local hospital or a private medical facility such as an urgent care center.  These walk-in clinics are an alternative to emergency rooms for when you aren’t suffering a true medical emergency.  Though they are typically privately owned, they are still managed like an extension of the public health system.  The clinics are usually ideally located in busy and convenient public places in cities and towns all over California.  Many people don’t seem to yet realize the growing popularity of these medical facilities and what sort of services they can provide. But the fact is that more and more people, after having a bad experience in an emergency room or facing a long wait to get an appointment at their doctor, are looking at other available options and realizing that minor medical issues can better be handled in urgent care centers than in the ER.  Healthcare experts and policy makers have also acknowledged the role of these auxiliary medical facilities, praising them for doing a great job in aiding and assisting the entire medical process, especially in easing the pressure on emergency rooms. If used in an appropriate manner as a supplement of primary and emergency health care, an urgent care clinic can be a critical part of the medical fraternity and aid in the mission to provide practical and effective healthcare to the public. 

In the present environment of healthcare reform, the excessive use of emergency rooms at hospitals needs to be assessed.  Various studies have shown that upwards of 17% of all visits to an Emergency Room could be better treated at other facilities.  And the savings that could be realized with a better utilization of other options could be upwards of $4.4 billion.  Almost any medical condition that doesn’t qualify as a true medical emergency can safely be treated at an urgent care center or walk-in clinic.  California is home to an excellent network of urgent care centers, with several hundred throughout the state.  And as far as healthcare reforms are concerned, California is recognized as being ahead of the curve in implementing the law.  As a result, hundreds of thousands of low-income Californians have better access to health care and medical services like urgent care centers have a greater role to play in delivering value to those patients.   

There are several reasons to go to an urgent care facility.  It is not only the cost of treatment at an urgent care center in California which is significantly lower than other medical facilities, but also the wait time and time for treatment.  However, benefits like a personable staff and significantly more available locations when compared to emergency rooms shouldn’t be discounted.  These urgent care centers are generally open nights and weekends, and accept walk-ins without an appointment.  They treat very common injuries and illnesses like cuts and lacerations, sprains and strains, urinary tract infections, vomiting and diarrhea, flu like symptoms and minor burns. Some clinics are even equipped to take X-rays and perform simple blood, urine and drug tests. According to the Urgent Care Association of America, an estimated 3 million patients visit them each week.  All of these advantages just serve to further justify the rapid growth of urgent care centers all over the country.

It is a fact that the walk-in model has always been one of the most appealing features for consumers when they are seeking immediate treatment.  For modern society, convenience can be as equally important as other factors.  Advances in technology means patients can now use computers or their smart phones to make good use of their time and wait comfortably at home until the doctor is ready to see them.  Busy people value convenience and appreciate the ability of urgent care centers to bring a convenient solution to their medical needs.  For all of these reasons, it is quite apparent as to why urgent care centers have been booming in California and why they will continue to increase in popularity. 

The Secrets Of Success For Urgent Care Centers

Unlike a family General Practitioner (GP), a walk-in clinic is available to provide medical services when you actually need them. We are certainly not talking about life threatening conditions as for those you should rush to the nearest medical facility providing emergency services. Scheduled medical consulting is another matter entirely perhaps best suited for consultations of a chronic problem. During this type of treatment, a specialist has to study the patient consistently over many weeks and months to monitor their health and ever changing prescriptions.

We’re going to focus on urgent medical care services, which is the delivery of walk-in care in a medical facility outside of a regular hospital. Of late, urgent care centers have been opening all across the country in convenient spots around your city and town. Most likely, you will be able to find one located within a few miles of you. So there is no need to panic and feel that you have to head to an ER for every medical issue. For treating minor ailments or issues, the ER can be too crowded, the possibility of catching a contagious disease looms high and to top it off, you will likely wait for quite a while as patients with medical emergencies are treated first.

Most urgent care clinics are open 7 days a week and they typically are open after normal business hours, with some even open 24 hours a day. Often GP’s or dentists or cardiologists are single person teams and they just physically cannot be expected to provide such continuous hours of service. Such practitioners tend to keep a long list of clientele who get served by an appointment system, which can make it difficult to get in quickly. Contrast this to the urgent care center model, which offers physicians during all hours the center is open. In effect, such centers provide same the same services as a family or primary medical care doctor, but with the difference of being cheaper and quicker. Depending on the location, these centers can offer services like general medical care, occupational medicine, x-ray’s, lab tests, vaccines, school and sports physicals and on-site pharmacies to receive prescriptions quickly.

There are numerous situations where you may have a medical problem but your family GP’s offices are not open or you’d have to wait too long to get an appointment. What would you do if you had abdominal pain? What would you do if your young daughter fell off her bicycle and has a deep cut on the knees and scratches on her arms? These are examples of situations where perhaps an urgent care center would be your best option to receive quick and effective medical aid. Since these centers do not cater to serious ailments, the length of consultations are typically short, which translates into shorter wait times, especially when compared with an ER. The physicians are experienced and place a premium on customer satisfaction, striving to give the appropriate attention to each and every patient. They know how much you value your health and time and they endeavor to make sure you get the best professional treatment available. They offer individualized care and try to make you feel valuable and comfortable, which is quite underrated when you’re not feeling well!

Due to the local nature of its operation, an urgent medical care center allows you the opportunity to gain a sense of confidence and faith in a doctor. You can build a relationship with a doctor in your community, for any frequent minor conditions. Colds, rashes, urinary tract infections or similar ailments, sprains, and stitches are taken care of swiftly, cases are reviewed, x-rayed, bruises disinfected, cuts sewn or dressed up, and before you know it, you are back in your bed in your cozy home, relaxing. That’s the key benefit that ultimately has determined the success of urgent care centers. Their focus on minor conditions means patients are treated promptly and thus don’t clog up resources at an ER that could better be served treating needier patients.  The urgent care model means patients are treated on a first come first served basis.  This means there can be a wait, but a wait of 20-30 minutes is relatively minor if it means getting treatment for a nagging problem and being able to get back to work or play quickly. 

Another advantage of urgent care centers that doesn’t get much attention is the cost of treatment.   When compared to other sources for such services, such as an ER or even a family doctor, urgent care centers are typically the cheapest of all options. This is yet another reason that urgent care centers have become so successful and well-liked by people looking for alternative solutions to deal with minor conditions.