Your health and the health of your family are among the highest of priorities in your life. Living happy and healthy lives is the basis for everything else. So having the proper medical care available, regardless of the time or day, is crucial. Yes, it is important to find a primary physician that you can get to know and trust, and rely on when it comes to checkups or minor injuries and illnesses. But you should also have the peace of mind that no matter what happens, you and your family will be getting the best treatment, whatever the urgent medical needs may be. You should at least be aware of the urgent care centers and emergency services available near you so that if the need does arise, you will know what to do.
The development of urgent care and emergency service centers
There are times that our health does not wait for regular operating business hours. There are times you may need access to a center that not only has quality treatments and services, but also skillful convenient and affordable care, and sometimes there is also a need for a facility with advanced diagnostic and laboratory services as well. While you may be more than satisfied with the way that your primary care physician treats both injury and illness, that doctor cannot be available 100% of the time.
There are now more urgent care and emergency services than ever, and they offer a range of treatments, from the common cold to bone fractures, and many have the advanced diagnostic and laboratory services necessary to perform tests and screenings. This increase in availability comes at a crucial time, as the number of emergency room visits has now grown to about 110 million each and every year. As more physicians offer treatment through urgent care centers, whether they are writing a prescription for an infection or making use of their advanced diagnostic and laboratory services, the lines between primary care, urgent care, and emergency room services begin to blur a bit.
A rising number for a greater demand
It has been estimated that in the United States, by 2025, the country will be in need of about 52,000 more primary care doctors than what we currently have in order to meet the demand for quality health care. The good news is that right now there are around 20,000 physicians practicing medicine in an urgent care capacity, and that growing trend in the medical field is helpful to countless individuals with important health related needs. While there used to be limited services, or only specific services available in certain places, those blurred lines between care centers and what they can each offer is another positive step in the right direction toward getting everyone the care that they deserve.
Not every medical treatment center needs to have the most advanced diagnostic and laboratory services. But as long as more and more care centers are popping up, and with more and more options and accessibility to different treatments and services, we can continue to work on getting closer to the ideal health care system.