The modern American medical industry is a broad and diverse one, and that includes emergency care centers, urgent care clinics (or walk in clinics), pharmacies, and much more. Every day, many people young and old will get hurt or ill, and they will need to visit urgent care clinics or the ER, depending on the severity of their health problem. When this happens, a nearby person can look up urgent clinics or an ER nearby with a PC or smartphone. A query such as “urgent care near me” can bring up a whole list of results, showing the name, address, and hours of each clinic. When searching “urgent care near me”, the person can modify the search, such as “urgent care near me 24 hrs” to find a 24 hour clinic if the patient needs help at an odd time of day. If it’s for a child, the person can look up “pediatric urgent care near me,” since regular urgent care centers are meant for adu
Category: Urgent care center
Urgent care is a special type of health clinic, in that it allows patients to walk in right off the street without making an appointment beforehand. There are currently 20,000 physicians who practice what is known as Urgent Care Medicine, and they take care of an estimated 3 million patients who visit urgent care centers each week. These walk in clinics offer patients a number of important medical services, and this article will take a look at a few of them.
- The Flu Shot: One important medical service that urgent care clinics provide for patients is access to the annual flu shot. This is a vaccination that is given every year, typically during the fall and winter months, to prevent people from catching the flu virus that sweeps the country during this time. Anyone who wants to get the flu shot can come into the urgent care clinic at any time to re
It is important to show your confidence, and be proud of who you are, but it is also important that you are doing everything possible to be your most healthy self. And while it is not healthy to focus only on losing weight, you will likely find yourself making fewer trips to the local urgent care for a number of health concerns if you started focusing on the kinds of food that you eat, as well as the exercise that you get.
Staying out of the emergency room and out of the hospital should be everyone’s goal, but if you also want to make sure that you are not a frequent visitor to local urgent care clinics you should begin to focus on your personal health journey. For some people, this means that they want to focus on their personal performance. For instance, how fast can you run a 5K, or how far can you hike while carrying a backpack, or even how heavy are
Heart health is an issue many Americans are familiar with, in one way or another.
An abundance of sedentary lifestyles and a lack of awareness about good dieting has cemented the United States as having among the highest rates of heart disease. Perhaps the most frustrating element about this debilitating issue is just how easily it can be prevented with a few lifestyle changes. High blood pressure can be mitigated with therapy and exercise, while a more healthy diet can reduce the amount of bad cholesterol that leads to clots. Little by little, it’s more than possible to create good heart health to last the rest of your life.
A cardiologist can steer you in the right direction and offer you the means of keeping heart disease at bay. Here are some general tips to get you started, from the impact genetics can leave to good diet choices.
Exercise Two To Three Times Per Week
When we exercise our body is given the tools it needs to build itself
A woman living in the U.S. has a one-in-eight lifetime risk of being diagnosed with breast cancer. The American Cancer Society estimates that more than 260,000 new cases will be diagnosed in U.S. women this year alone. As of January 2016, there are more than 3.5 million living breast cancer survivors.
Women who get regular physical activity have a 10 to 20 percent lower risk of breast cancer compared to women are inactive, but millions of women are at risk. Compared to women without a family history, the risk of breast cancer is about two times higher for women with one affected first-degree female relative.
With so many women at risk for breast cancer, mammography remains an effective tool in the fight against the disease. Studies show that mammography reduces the risk of dying from breast cancer between 20 percent and 40 percent. According to the 2015 National Health Interview Survey, 50 percent of women 40 or older reported having had a mammogram within the last year and 6
With the growing popularity of urgent care centers, many at least know they exist, but they haven’t actually looked into them. The truth is, there are numerous advantages to choosing one of these centers during your next emergency or illness.
Flexible Hours
About 48% of those seeking emergency room medical care didn’t actually need to be admitted to the hospital, but went because their regular doctors office was closed, according to the Centers for Disease Control.
Less Wait Time
Urgent care facilities are known for their prompt care. This is evidenced by the fact that most (60%) of patients wait less than 15 minutes to be admitted. In addition, about 80% of all visits are completed within an hour of arrival. At an ER, you will likely wait hours just to be admitted, let alone treated.
Cost Effective
Another thing these centers are known for is their cost effectiveness. You will receive expert care at just a fraction of what you would pay if you went to the ER. The ER can often cost hundreds of dollars for basic treatments, but these facilities will help you save money for larger issues.
Great Treatment
Roughly 65% of urgent cares have a physician on-site at all times, meaning they can provide expert care whenever you need to come in. Many centers are able to provide fracture care, in addition to hundreds of other treatments. They can also perform physicals, STD testing, hazmat screenings, and give flu shots.
Have you been to any urgent care centers? What was your experience like? Would you recommend it to a friend? We’d love to hear your thoughts!
If you have injured yourself, or you’re not feeling well, your first move may be to call your physician. If you can’t get an appointment today, and you want treatment, you’ll need to decide whether your injury warrants a trip to the emergency room. Depending on your condition, you might prefer one of your local urgent care centers. According to Good Rx, an urgent care center is appropriate for non life threatening injuries.
Examples of non-life threatening injuries include sore throats, urinary tract infections, or small cuts. When you arrive at the urgent care triage, their staff will determine the seriousness of your condition. These centers are usually staffed with physicians, nurse practitioners or physician assistants. Patient care assistants will ask about your health history and your symptoms and measure your vital signs.
Benefits of urgent care centers include their availability without an appointment. Urgent care facilities usually have a shorter waiting time than an emergency room. Most of those facilities offer lab facilities and X-ray services on-site. However, if you have a life-threatening condition, such as chest pain or a deep cut, it’s more appropriate for you to go to an emergency room.
The landscape of the American healthcare system is rapidly changing. Within the last decade, significant changes have been implemented, such as the passing of the Affordable Care Act which requires all U.S. citizens to carry some form of health insurance. In addition, urgent care centers have taken on a much more significant role and have grown far beyond their “quick-fix” reputation. In fact, local urgent care centers have been thrust to the forefront of the American healthcare system as they continue to close the gap between primary care physicians’ offices and hospital emergency rooms.
While urgent care clinics are designed to treat acutely occurring illnesses and conditions, they’ve grown into their new role and have taken on a wider variety of treatments. For example, nearly 70% of urgent care clinics are equipped to provide intravenous (IV) fluids when needed. In addition, it’s now common for urgent care centers to have in-house dispensaries which allow patients to leave with their prescribed medication in hand. However, as urgent care centers continue to expand their repertoire of services, the lines between emergency and urgent care begin to blur.
While similar, urgent medical care is not a replacement for emergency treatment. Both are designed to treat acute conditions, however, emergency treatment should only be reserved for true emergencies. For example, if you or someone you know is experiencing chest pain, shortness of breath, or numbness and tingling in your limb’s, you should go directly to a hospital.
On the other hand, many urgent care centers are equipped to treat serious but non-life threatening conditions and injuries such as the flu, cuts, sprains, and even some fractures. If you’re unsure of the range of services offered at your local urgent care center, it’s best to contact them in order to clarify. Understanding the difference between emergency and urgent care can not only save you money, but it can save your life as well.