subject: Urgent-Medical-Care [print this page] Imagine that it is the early evening and your doctor is on vacation when one of your children sprains an ankle, suddenly gets a rash or develops a fever from the injury. The illness is not serious enough to jump in the car and head for the emergency room, but nor is it smart to wait for an appointment with your primary care physician that may be scheduled days away.
Fortunately there are urgent care centers. There are urgent care centers that go by different names all over the United States. They can usually be found nestled in among communities. They are known for having longer office hours and for offering treatment to patients who are not suffering from any life-threatening condition. These immediate care facilities do treat some injuries and conditions that are serious, such as some fractures, but are not to be sought for such conditions as a suspected heart attack or stroke.
These immediate medical centers are run by a professional staff that includes licensed medical professionals and nursing professionals fully capable of treating the various illnesses and injuries. Each urgent care center is usually equipped with a full arrangement of top of the line equipment such as x-ray machines that are not normally found in the standard doctors office. Known to some as intermediate care, these facilities are the right choice when your primary care physician cannot be immediately seen, and the emergency room is not needed.
Urgent medical care facility physicians are fully licensed medical doctors who can order blood work with many facilities being able to process the blood work on-site,. The staff can to ease symptoms or treat the illnes of the patient just like any other physician. Whether it be a few stitches for little Billy who cut his arm riding his bicycle, treatment for mom's allergies, or little Suzie needing a rash cream, urgent care facilities are the clear choice for today's endlessly busy families.
Urgent care centers can accept most major medical insurances, but one should verify with his insurance provider before visiting the center if possible. Immediate care centers also accept credit card and cash for those without insurance. However, there may be a somewhat higher cost for the convenience of visiting an urgent care center. Similarly, this can be related to the increased cost of food at a convenience store as compared to the standard grocery store.. If the insurance is accepted with no restrictions, then any cost differences are unlikely to affect your visit.
Due to increasing competition between urgent care facilities, there are some that are offering discounts for certain procedures such as routine physicals for job seekers, school sports and other areas where physicals are required. If there is no insurance and a family member needs the services of an urgent care facility, it may be smart, if time allows, to call around to the facilities in the immediate area to find which one offers the best price for the injury or illness that will be treated.
