Here in the United States, getting the proper medical treatment can often be harder and overall more difficult than many people actually realize. After all, doctor’s offices close after a certain point in time, and sometimes people are too busy (such as with work) to make an appointment during their daytime hours. In addition to this, medical concerns can sometimes develop quickly and be in need of relatively immediate medical treatment – and, unfortunately, this does not always happen conveniently, when the person in need of medical help can be taken in to see their general care practitioner.
Fortunately, there are a number of places – aside from the time consuming and hugely expensive emergency room locations found throughout the country – that a person can go to get the medical treatment they are in need of. For instance, the online doctor is becoming a more and more popular institution than ever before. In fact, more than half of all people will use virtual healthcare systems – but only if they are allowed to speak with a provider that they are familiar with. For minor health concerns, this can be ideal for patients and doctors alike, as it can allow the patient to better assess whether or not they are in need of more thorough and emergent health care, such as would be provided to them in an urgent care facility.
However, in order for this incredibly convenient medical care to be able to be provided, it’s very essential for the platforms that these online doctors are operating from to have access to certain types of information. For instance, health records are a must for online doctors to provide on-demand care, something that up to three thirds of all prospective patients feel is the case. It makes sense that this would be so, after all, as it is critical for doctors to be able to look at a patient’s overall health history in order to be able to assess their current state. For many people here in the United States, this is a must for getting accurate and effective healthcare treatment and therefore must be a part of online doctor services as well.
But not everyone will feel comfortable using any type of online medical service and will instead prefer to see a medical professional in person. Fortunately, this will more likely than not be possible even if their typical general care doctor has closed their office for the day or even for the weekend. The advent and spread of the 24 hour urgent care center makes this possible, as a 24 hour urgent care center will be able to provide comprehensive treatment in an in person setting, something that even the best virtual doctor will not be able to do to quite the same extent.
As a matter of fact, the 24 hour urgent care center is likely to be quite comprehensive indeed, as up to 80% of all urgent care centers throughout the country are now able to provide fracture care and up to 70% of these urgent care centers can administer things like IV fluids as well. Of course, the typical 24 hour urgent care center will be able to provide services for much less severe medical conditions as well, and the average 24 hour urgent care center might even be able to provide preventative medical care too, such as in the form of the flu shot, something that most people should get before flu season really settles in.
Of course, sometimes going to a 24 hour urgent care center won’t even be necessary, as more and more doctor’s offices are actually providing extended hours for their patients, more now than ever before. For instance, nearly half of all family and general care doctors – up to 40% of them, as a matter of fact – will actually provide office hours on weekends and into the evening hours as well. For many people this can be critical, providing them with a viable place to get medical care from someone that they trust when they need it most.
