When you consider that Americans come down with a billion colds every year, and an average of 5% to 20% also get the flu, it’s good to know that there are urgent walk in clinics to address these and other medical issues. Approximately 66% of these urgent care centers have a combination of physicians, nurse practitioners, and physician assistants on staff. Furthermore, 65% of these facilities also have at least 1 physician available throughout their hours of operation.
The Urgent Care Association of America conducted a survey that showed 57% of patients only need to wait 15 minutes or fewer to be seen by a practitioner. Around 80% of the participants reported that their actual visits were an hour or less.
Since many individuals and families may need after-hours care at some point, they may or may not be aware that just 29% of primary care doctors are available following normal business hours. When these individuals visit an urgent care clinic where they can just walk in doctors or mid-level staff are available.
Many people in the United States tend to go to a traditional emergency room when they’re sick or injured. A study conducted by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, however, found that 48% of the adults that did so weren’t sick enough to be admitted. Furthermore, these individuals stated that they chose to go to the hospital emergency room because their regular physicians’ offices were closed.
Traditional hospital emergency room visits cost considerably more than urgent care centers. When someone goes to the emergency room rather than an urgent care facility,for example, they may pay $1,500.00 as opposed to $150.00. It’s important to note that this is the cost to treat the same issue.
It’s also interesting to note the results of a 2010 Rand Corporation study. They found that the issues involved with approximately 1 out of every 5 traditional hospital emergency room visits could have been treated at an urgent care center instead. At a time when healthcare costs are soaring and many people are unable to afford medical care, this could potentially save $4.4 billion every year.
When individuals and their families become more aware that they can see walk in doctors at a lower cost and with less waiting time, chances are that they will use these services more regularly. Life-threatening situations should, of course, be addressed at hospital emergency rooms.