4 Reasons Why Urgent Care Centers are Perfect for Little Health Emergencies [Infographic]
When a health emergency strikes, it can strike fear and doubt about how to treat the problem. Traditionally, the only choices were hospital emergency rooms or trips to a primary care physician’s office. But going to the ER can entail long drives to faraway hospitals, followed by hours of waiting in overburdened facilities and huge medical bills.
Yet opting to see a physician means limited hours of care, weeks of waiting for a doctor’s appointment, high prices, and a lack of urgent care experience and on-site emergency services.
But today, urgent care centers are the affordable, fast, and convenient alternative for high-quality medical care for everyday minor emergencies. And MD Now is the leading urgent care center for children and adults in Palm Beach, Broward, and Miami-Dade counties. In addition to rapidly growing in popularity, recent research affirms the medical, financial, and personal value of urgent care centers like MD Now. This is shown in MD Now’s new infographic, “4 Reasons Why Urgent Care Centers are Perfect for Little Health Emergencies.” Examine the highlights of the research to see why urgent care centers are so good for patients’ health.
High-Quality Medical Care at a Lower Price
While your health is priceless, the cost of medical care is often a major concern. The infographic shows that both ERs and primary care physicians are much more expensive options than urgent care centers. How much more costly? Research shows that a visit to the ER can cost over six times more than a trip to an urgent care center for the exact same service. This is due to higher overhead costs, more staffing costs, and greater risks in emergency rooms. Consider these startling statistics:
- 71% of ER visits are unnecessary, which adds up to useless trips and regrettable bills for patients.
- On average, it costs $1,354 for an ER visit, compared to the mere $150–$200 fee for an urgent care center self-pay visit.
- Urgent care insurance copays are usually 20–25% lower than the ER.
Say So Long to Long Waits
In ERs, critical medical problems take precedence over non-life-threatening issues. As a result, patients with less-serious medical issues are left waiting hours for care. And this waiting game is even worse with primary care physicians whose requirements for an appointment and limited hours of operation leave patients waiting weeks for proper medical care. But urgent care centers see most patients in under an hour, have extended weekday and weekend hours, and don’t require appointments. These centers provide immediate access to healthcare without the wait or worry. The infographic compared this immediate access to care with both the ER and a physician’s office:
- Four hours is the average wait time in the ER.
- 19.5 days is the average wait time for an appointment with a primary care physician in metropolitan areas.
- Less than one hour for treatment at urgent care centers.
Convenient Care That’s Open Longer and Nearby
Primary care physicians have limited hours of operation and are typically closed on evenings, weekends, and holidays. Yet minor medical emergencies still happen at all times, so patients are forced to look for other places for care. While ERs are always open, they’re rarely around the corner and often require long drives for treatment. But at urgent care centers, the extended evening, weekend, and holiday hours have made them popular with patients, which has led new locations to appear on practically every corner. This combination of proximity and accessibility make urgent care centers a much more convenient source of medical care for non-life-threatening issues. According to the infographic:
- Less than one-third of primary care physicians have the supplementary support to treat patients at off-hours.
- Many urgent care centers are open for 12 hours a day including evenings, weekends, and holidays.
- The prevalence of urgent care centers typically makes them closer to patients than ERs.
Major Emergency Capabilities for Minor Health Emergencies
Primary care physicians offer general medical services, yet few have urgent care expertise or on-site diagnostic medical services. But most urgent care centers offer all of these services, including many of the same on-site medical capabilities as the ER:
- Lab testing
- Digital x-rays
- Ultrasound
- EKG
For more medical wisdom on why urgent care centers are a healthy choice for non-life-threatening problems, check out the infographic, “4 Reasons Why Urgent Care Centers are Perfect for Little Health Emergencies.”
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Discover the caring, convenient, and cost-efficient treatment that can always be found at MD Now. All of our locations operate on a walk-in, no-appointment basis with hours to conveniently suit your schedule. With 26 locations throughout Palm Beach, Broward, and Miami-Dade counties, quality care is always within your reach. For the Florida locations nearest you, visit https://dev-www-mymdnow-com.mdgadvertising.com/locations.
To learn more about our urgent care centers, call 888-MDNow-911 or visit MDNow.com.
MD Now® Urgent Care Walk-In Medical Centers is the leading provider of fast and affordable urgent care to adults and children in Palm Beach, Broward, and Miami-Dade counties. Our state-of-the-art, walk-in medical centers are open seven days a week to deliver an affordable and convenient alternative to long emergency room wait times and the limited hours of family physicians. No appointment is necessary and major insurance plans are accepted. In addition to providing a comprehensive range of urgent care services to treat a variety of illnesses and injuries, our multiple locations offer digital x-rays, EKG, lab testing, physicals, immunizations, vaccines, occupational medicine, travel medicine and selected primary care services. Find the medical care you need with the convenience you want at MD Now. Call: 888-MDNow-911, online: MDNow.com.