Medical care is hugely important all throughout the United States. After all, doctors and nurses and even other medical professionals help in so many different ways. For one thing, wellness checks on a yearly basis are recommended for just about every single person, from newborn babies (who will be seen much more frequently than just once a year) to elderly people and everyone in between as well. If you have become sick or injured, going to see a doctor is also hugely advisable. After all, you are likely to find symptom relief even if you cannot be cured.
But what about when your doctor’s office is closed for the night or even for the weekend? What should you do under such circumstances? For many people, the emergency room might feel like the only option. But while going to an emergency room for a true emergency (such as a serious injury or a suspected stroke or heart attack) is very much advisable, going to the emergency room for a lesser condition is actually something that can end up being detrimental.
After all, waiting times in emergency rooms are very long. On average, you are actually likely to spend at least one full hour in any given emergency room just in the waiting room alone. Even after you’ve been processed and taken back to a room, it will still likely be a long time before you actually are able to receive a diagnosis, care, and ultimately your discharge papers. That’s a lot of time lost for a relatively minor medical concern.
And we cannot forget the fact that urgent care centers are hugely – and often prohibitively – expensive. The data that has been gathered on the subject is more than in support of this claim. This data has found that the average visit will cost now more than $1,000. And sometimes this final total is even quite a bit higher than this figure, which is certainly already very high. Therefore, avoiding the emergency room when you are at all able is something that will benefit you a great deal.
But where can you get on-demand care otherwise? Fortunately, more and more doctors offices are staying open later than ever. As of the current date, data reflects that more than 70% of all doctors are spending at least 31 hours directly with patients on a weekly basis, a number that might be even higher for some. In addition to this, more and more doctors are offering weekend hours, something else that is supported by the data gathered on the subject, which shows that up to 40% of all doctors now serve patients both on weekends as well as later into evenings than what was previously possible.
But when your doctor’s office is closed and you need on-demand care, getting convenient medical care from a local 24 hour urgent care center is also an option. Urgent care centers have spread immensely throughout the United States, with many urgent care centers open each and every day of the week and sometimes even around the clock. This can make it easier than ever to get on-demand care for a medical concern. On-demand care can be given for all kinds of medical issues at your typical urgent care center. On-demand care for injuries, ranging from wounds to stitches to even minor fractures. And on-demand care for illnesses is also more than possible, with cases like urinary tract infections, ear infections, and strep throat (among many others) given thorough treatment in the typical urgent care setting.
Seeing a virtual doctor or online doctor for on-demand care is becoming more and more common as well. Seeing a virtual doctor can help you to get rapid medical advice, advice that can help to inform your next decisions. Many doctor’s offices are introducing the concept of virtual care, as more than half of all people are willing to try out this kind of care – so long as they are able to speak to their own doctor, someone that they are comfortable with and trust with their overall medical care – and someone who knows enough about them to make confident medical decisions. This method of on-demand care can serve as a stop-gap until a real doctor’s visit can be obtained.