It is a fact of life that some Americans, young or old, will get injured or ill, and whenever a person falls ill or suffered a minor injury or wound, it is important to know where to find 24 hour urgent care of convenient medical care and visit that facility so they can get taken care of. Commonplace maladies may range from catching the flu to cutting their skin on broken glass to spraining an ankle, so finding a doctor or a physician is the very next step to take. Often, a person may find on-demand care from a walk-in clinic or a retail clinic in their area, and such clinics are numerous across the United States and often are open 24 hours a day and seven days a week. A person may search in a smart phone or PC for “urgent care near me” or “urgent 24 hour care Dallas TX” to find a nearby location’s name, address, and hours, and visit to get recovery. A person might even consult a doctor online for a medical issue of theirs, and a virtual doctor can e helpful for non-emergency health conditions. What can be treated at a convenient medical care clinic, and what other kinds of convenient medical care might be found?
American Urgent Care Today
Often, the medical issues that Americans suffer are minor enough so that a hospital and its emergency room are not needed, since only life-threatening problems call for the ER. Instead, a patient can find convenient medical care at any number of urgent care clinics or walk-in clinics across the nation, which may be found in most towns and cities. They are often independent facilities or are part of a small, local network, and they are often staffed by nurse practitioners and physicians who can handle the everyday wounds and illnesses of their patients. Often, these clinics run smoothly, and a patient may expect a wait time of about 15 minutes on average, and the clinic may see about three patients per hour. Often, this care can be found 24 hours a day, or at least with very broad clinic hours. 40% of general physicians will work evening and weekend hours to care for their patients. These clinics often accept health insurance as well, and for more minor ailments, they are a cost-friendly alternative to the ER or a hospital while still offering quality care. If a patient there really does need the ER, the clinic may refer them to a nearby hospital.
What can be treated at these clinics? Many non-life threatening problems can be taken care of here, such as the common flu and cold. Medicine can be offered at a convenient medical care clinic for the symptoms, and these clinics may also offer medicine or ointment for allergies or skin conditions such as rashes. Four out of five urgent or convenient medical care clinics will offer treatment for bone fractures, and they often take care of wrist or ankle sprains as well, which are common problems (25,000 Americans suffer ankle sprains per day). These clinics may also take care of broken fingers or toes, and upper respiratory problems are among the most common issues handled at an urgent care clinic. What is more, these clinics often contain a pharmacy as well, and they can refill drug prescriptions while pharmacists are on hand.
Some convenient medical care clinics are standalone buildings, while others are in fact retail clinics, meaning that they are built into larger retailers such as Target, Wal-Mart, and Walgreens. This makes them easy to find and get parking for, since these retailers are designed to accommodate all their shoppers, and these walk-in retail clinics often have pharmacies as well for refilling drug prescriptions. The clinic’s store hours will probably be similar to those of the retailer that it is found in.
Sometimes, a patient may want a consultation with a doctor before getting care, and they can turn to the Internet if need be. An online doctor may learn of the symptoms when a patient explains them, and offer suggestions for medical assistance. A person in Seattle, for example, may search online for “Washington Online Doctor” to find such aid.