You’re going along with your day when you’re suddenly hit with an overwhelming wave of nausea and dizziness. While painkillers and bed rest sound like they’ll do the trick, there’s always the fear this condition could get worse. Who do you call?
Looking for an urgent care nearby can be a real source of stress if you’ve never gone before. If you have a form of insurance you’re likely familiar with a clinic or family doctor. When you don’t have time to wait for an appointment, though, it’s tempting to call up the ambulance and head to the emergency room. Save yourself time and money by instead visiting an urgent care center. These facilities act as the middleman between the doctor’s office and emergency room, providing fast treatment for minor to moderate injuries or illnesses.
Here are five things you should know off the bat so you can get the care you need as quickly as possible.
Find A Convenient Location Now To Save On Stress
Whether or not you’re sick, finding an urgent care nearby as soon as possible will keep you from panicking in your time of need. Urgent care medicine is quickly becoming one of the most widespread forms of American healthcare, with thousands of locations strewn around the country. Not only will you likely find an urgent care nearby when you type in ‘local hospital’ or ‘urgent care closest to me’, you will likely find several that can properly accommodate you and your family members.
Expect A Short Wait Time At Your Clinic On Average
While not all urgent care centers are identical, they share the distinct similarity of being faster and more convenient. A recent study found around 60% of all urgent care centers boasting a wait time of 15 minutes or less. This is ideal when you’re in too much pain to wait, but not enough pain to warrant an emergency room visit. A private study provided by Milliman saw as many as 65% of all emergency room episodes being moderate enough to be treated at an urgent care location instead.
Know The Difference Between Minor, Moderate And Severe Pain
What scale is your pain? Your doctor will ask this right off the bat when you arrive, but it’s important to be familiar with your own pain scale so you can receive accurate care as quickly as possible. The function of an urgent care center is to treat minor to moderate issues and it’s important to know which medical model to choose when things get rough. The emergency room is designed for life-threatening illnesses, injuries or allergic attacks, while your urgent care center can treat fractures, abdominal pain or complications with influenza.
Find A Pediatric Urgent Care Model For Your Children
As already stated above, urgent care models differ. Some are larger, meant for a more frequent volume of patients, while others are hybrid models with emergency rooms. Finding a pedi center will save you and your child a lot of stress, providing steady healthcare to treat all sorts of frustrating issues from month-to-month. The average child will come down with as many as 10 colds in a year, with ear infections being some of the most painful and frequent issues brought to pediatric urgent care in any given year.
Use Urgent Care Clinics Alongside Your Family Doctor
When it comes down to it, urgent care clinics provide the most steady balance between quality care and affordable price yet seen. Healthcare is more expensive than its ever been, putting many people out of pocket and even home when they have a moderate issue at best. Using an urgent care nearby will ensure you’re not dealing with your illness or injury longer than you have to, but will also make sure you’re saving as much money as possible. Whether it’s dizziness keeping you from working properly or a recent sprain that could put you out of work for a week or two, family urgent care is there to help.
Instead of asking question after question, take these answers with you on your way to an urgent care nearby. You’ll be glad you did.