Broken bones. Lacerations. Influenza. Bronchitis. Strep throat. Cancer. Diabetes. High blood pressure. High cholesterol. Ankle sprains. Common colds. Sore throats. Sexually transmitted diseases. Gouges. Broken toes. Broken fingers. Blood issues. These are some of the issues that are treated in a new type of health facility: The Urgent Care Center.
Urgent care centers are considered the bridge in the medical continuum of care, according to general thought and logic. They share characteristics with the primary care physician and share characteristics with the emergency room, acting as a liaison to both in the same way that a floater in a company will take on the responsibilities of multiple people.
Urgent care centers treat numerous conditions including the ones listed above. There are statistics about America and its health and the conditions that an urgent care center treats. They include:
- There are approximately 6.8 million bones broken in the Unites States each year.
- Every year, Americans got approximately 1 billion colds.
- On average, between 5% and 20% of Americans come down with the flu each year.
Urgent care centers often share some of the same characteristics. Most are open early and close late. Many have x-ray machines and other sophisticated imaging equipment that can handle the treatment and diagnosis of significant injuries. 80% of patients are seen in an hour or less and 57% of patients are seen in less than 15 minutes.
Urgent care centers are staffed with a mix of physicians, physician assistants, and nurses (66% are) and 65% of urgent care centers have a physician on-site at all times. 20,000 physicians in the United States currently practice urgent care medicine and that number is growing as more urgent care centers are opening in the United States.
Urgent care centers are considered the bridge between the primary care physician and the emergency room. The primary care physician has low copays, is able to treat many illnesses and ailments, and is open during regular work hours, generally speaking. Contrasting that with the urgent care center…
Urgent care centers are generally open earlier and later than a primary care physician’s office. They can handle diagnosing and treating a wider variety of illnesses, in part due to sophisticated imaging equipment, and have a slightly higher copay. But the main point that makes urgent care centers different from primary care physicians is the walk-ins.
Urgent care centers are walk-in clinics, meaning they see patients as they come in, without an appointment. This goes against the primary care physician facilities where an appointment is generally required. This makes urgent care good for immediate problems, such as a bad batch of influenza or a sudden broken bone.
Urgent care centers are also different than the emergency room. Emergency rooms are part of hospitals, meaning a patient will likely get the best possible care with the best physicians and the most sophisticated equipment, including MRI and CAT machines. But there will be a large payment due at the end and a bill coming in the mail.
Emergency room visits sometimes cost thousands of dollars, depending on the type of treatment and diagnosis, and the copays at least are around $100 to $200. In a study, researchers also showed that the majority of emergency room cases could have been handled in a less intensive setting.
Urgent care centers provide care that is similar to an emergency room in the fact that it is on a walk-in basis, with no appointment necessary, and that the hours are fairly lengthy, while not providing a big bill at the end of the day. Urgent care center bills sometimes run into the hundreds if the person doesn’t have insurance.
A patient bill without insurance would run into the thousands at an urgent care center.
Urgent care centers are the bridge in the continuum of care between the primary care physician and the emergency room. An estimated three million patients visit an urgent care center each week in the United States. And more urgent care centers are being opened each year.
Pediatric health care is an important part of the urgent care center. Many children come in and pediatric health care is the discipline in which they are treated. Pediatric health care covers colds and other illnesses. Pediatric health care covers ankle sprain and other ailments.