In the United States, an estimated 20,000 doctors practice urgent care medicine. This section of the healthcare industry is steadily growing and helping to relieve community emergency rooms and doctors offices that are often overwhelmed with patients; currently, an estimated 27% of all emergency room visits in the United States could take place at an urgent care facility. Urgent care centers treat a number of non-critical medical problems, and also offer their patients a variety of benefits, including shorter wait times and more affordable care. For this reason, if you have a non-life-threatening condition that requires immediate attention, it is recommended that you visit an urgent care clinic.
Urgent care clinics are medical walk in clinics designed to treat medical conditions and ailments that do not threaten the life of the patient. An estimated 50% of these facilities are owned by physicians, and as many as 55% have been in business 5 years or longer, creating a standard of experienced and professional care. Because urgent medical care centers are typically designed to treat patients on a walk in basis, they have a reputation for providing fast, effective care: an estimated 80% of all urgent care visits in the United States are completed within an hour or less. Additionally, urgent care centers typically charge co-pay fees similar to the amounts charged by a doctors office, making them significantly less expensive than a visit to the emergency room.
Urgent care clinics provide treatment for a variety of conditions and commonly treat nausea, dizziness, flu symptoms, and anxiety. And as urgent care centers expand across the United States, so do their services: an estimated 69.3% of urgent care clinics in the U.S. now provide drug testing for employment purposes and other services. For this reason, several Managed Care Operations encourage patients to visit urgent care centers for any non-life-threatening ailments and discomfort. So if you or a loved one is experiencing a non-critical medical problem, the choice is clear: visit your nearest urgent care clinic for walk in medical services at an affordable price. Continue reading here.
