If you have ever seen the inside of an emergency room, then you know that the waiting room alone is pure chaos. You could wait for several hours to see a doctor, because the vast majority of people go to the ER because they cannot see their doctor. In fact, about 48% of people who go to an ER are not sick enough to even be admitted to the hospital itself. For all the emergency rooms in the country there are 110 million visits every year. This means that you do not want to get stuck in the ER when 100 or more people all arrive at the same time. Fortunately, there is an alternative to emergency room care. An emergency care center or an urgent care facility is the best alternative. Emergency care has great benefits over the ER.
1. An emergency care facility provides services for a wide variety of medical problems. Food poisoning, fractures, respiratory conditions, sprains, lacerations, and high fevers are all issues that can be treated at an urgent care center. This means that you can expect to receive great medical treatment for any problem that is not life threatening.
2. A local urgent care center offers 24 hour care in some cases for patient convenience. Walk in care and short waiting times are also provided to remove the hassle and stress when an emergency occurs. The urgent care center will typically take patients on a first come first serve basis too. This means that all patients wait about the same amount of time to see a physician. You will never get stuck waiting three hours in waiting room when visiting the alternative to emergency room care.
3. Urgent care centers are typically closer to you than your local hospital. There are thousands of urgent care facilities all across the United States, and the centers open in areas where there is a need. This means that one or several urgent care centers are probably located within a 15 or 30 minute drive of your home when a hospital may be an hour or more away.
4. Urgent care facilities typically take many different insurance options. You can even reach someone easily by phone if you want to know if your insurance is taken. This is much different than a hospital where you cannot speak to someone unless you show up at the ER. Also, the alternative to emergency room care will make arrangements for medicines and follow up appointments with your physician while you are at the center. Hospitals are often too busy to discuss care after the ER visit.