You may know that urgent care facilities can be a good alternative to emergency room visits. You may have even heard some rumors about urgent care facilities and the quality of care they provide, but not all of that is true. It is important to do some research regarding your local urgent care clinics. Aside from the quality of care, there are several other little known facts about urgent care clinics that may sway your decision about choosing an urgent care facility over the ER. Before you choose if urgent care is right for you, get to know some of the facts and figures about this quick ER alternative.
Urgent care facilities are popping up all over the place and are becoming more common every day. An advantage to this increase is the ease of access for patients. With so many locations, you?re bound to find one close to your home or work.
This is a good statistic to consider depending on your family structure. If you live in a suburban area, you most likely have kids ? and kids get sick or have accidental injuries often. If you are single and live in a metropolitan area, an urgent care clinic may not be ideal. A traditional hospital may be more easily accessed for you.
Many people don?t realize that urgent care centers are open on the weekends as well. Some think they only have the extended hours on the weekdays. If you work a traditional Monday through Friday schedule and don?t have time to visit a clinic after work, a weekend clinic will provide you with the medical help you need on your time.
A great benefit to urgent care facilities is their short wait times. Emergency room crowding has become a serious issue and sometimes patients are waiting for hours at a time. Only 28% of urgent care centers have reported wait times between 21 and 40 minutes, so there is a high probability that you will be waiting much less than an hour. Depending on the severity of your injury or illness, you can count on a quick response from an urgent care facility.