Daily Archives: November 4, 2017

Emergency Care Services How They Provide the Best Urgent and Emergency Medical Care

Emergency medical and urgent services

There are approximately 110 million emergency room visits every year. While a substantial percentage of these visits may be for life-threatening situations, others could be treated at an urgent care clinic. Recent data shows that emergency room visits have actually increased more than 22% within the past ten years. This is due, in part, to how Americans expect and rely on 24-hour access to medical services.

According to a 2009 RAND Corp. study, approximately $4.4 billion in health care costs could be saved by people visiting urgent care clinics. This is due to their finding that 14% to 27% of the issues that lead people to go the emergency room could have been evaluated and treated at an urgent care center. Since some of these facilities also have 24 hour walk in clinics, they are a welcome alternative to the traditional hospital emergency room.

The Urgent Care Association of America reports that in 2011, the average urgent care center saw 342 patients on a weekly basis. Furthermore, these urgent care centers also had an increase of 28 new patients per month. This demonstrates that more people are becoming aware of the effective care that is being provided by urgent care facilities.

About half of the urgent care centers are owned by a physician or group of physicians. When visiting 60% of these facilities, patients usually only need to wait for up to 15 minutes to see a physician or mid-level provider, such as a physician’s assistant. There is also a physician on-site at all times with 65% of urgent care facilities.

The American Academy of Urgent Care Medicine indicates that on average, physicians will see 4.5 patients per hour. This will, of course, depend on whether or not each patient is presenting with a serious health problem. In some instances, these individuals may need to be admitted to the hospital.

It’s also important to note that the best urgent care also costs less than a traditional hospital emergency room visit. More specifically, when someone is treated at a hospital emergency room for an issue such as the flu, this can cost an average of $2,039.00. When someone visits an urgent care clinic for the same issue, the costs would average $226.00.

Since the best urgent care facilities can treat a wide range of illnesses and injuries as well as provide advanced diagnostic and laboratory services, it makes sense for people to visit these medical centers. This is even more the case with hybrid medical centers. These centers have emergency departments as well as the best urgent care clinics within the same building. As a result, patients do not have to make a choice as to which would be better because they will have access to both under the same roof.

Changes in the Medical Field Growing Urgent Care Industry

After hours pediatrics

Did you know that you have options when it comes to what type of doctor?s visit you have? Year after year, you probably continue to set up appointments with your primary care physician. This means calling in and hoping they have an appointment slot with a date and a time that fits in your schedule. You also hope that it?s not too far in the distant future if you?re sick or injured. Once you arrive, you never know how long your wait time will be. What if you had the choice to go to a different type of doctor, especially for illnesses and injuries that needed quick attention? Now, this option exists with offices like urgent care and clinics.

Interested in learning more about walk-in urgent care clinics and why they might be the right option for your medical needs? Keep reading for more information about the benefits of using an urgent care clinic.

Growth of the Urgent Care Industry Over the Years

urgent care and clinics that offer 24 hour walk in availability are on the rise in the United States. The demand for options like these has resulted in more and more doctors becoming certified and more locations opening all throughout the country. For instance, when it comes to Urgent Care Medicine, more than 20,000 physicians practice in this field. Those numbers are expected to increase greatly, as well. No longer is this a small field that is underrepresented and not recognized in the medical industry. Instead, it is considered a fast-growing speciality that many are choosing to practice in. In addition to this field gaining numbers, other medical fields are losing numbers. The Family Medicine specialty is actually seeing a drop in numbers as many doctors choose to specialize in Urgent Care Medicine instead.

Across the country, you won?t find a shortage of these types of urgent care and clinics facilities. In fact, there are around 9,300 locations operating as stand-alone centers that offer walk-in appointments. Every year, more clinics open in different areas throughout the United States. Currently, it is estimated that around 50-100 new clinics open per year.

Benefits of Visiting an Urgent Care Facility

So, why should you opt for a urgent care and clinics that offer 24-hour walk-ins? There are plenty of reasons this choice is more beneficial than visiting your primary physician or attempting to get into an emergency room attached to a hospital.

One benefit is the wait time. At your primary care physician, even if you have an appointment, there?s no saying how long you could wait in the waiting room. When you visit urgent care centers it is estimated that more than 60% of these clinics have less than a 15 minute wait time. On top of that, you don?t have to make an appointment beforehand. That already cuts wait time down because you can simply walk-in and see a doctor.

Since 97% of these clinics are open every day of the week and 99% of the clinics are open for 24 hours, you can rely on urgent care clinics when you have an illness or injury that needs direct and immediate attention. Many times people get sick or injured but it?s not dire enough to visit the emergency room. On the other hand, you don?t want to wait for an open appointment during normal operating hours at your primary care physician. This is when urgent care clinics turn out to be extremely beneficial. You can drop in on any day, at any time, and know that your wait time won?t be very long. You?ll leave shortly after your visit with a doctor with a diagnosis and the treatment you need to feel better.

Statistics also show that you are likely to save money on an appointment like this in comparison to visiting an emergency room. You could spend more than $2,000 in a hospital emergency room where the same treatment could be given for around $200 at an urgent care facility.

Are you going to try visiting an urgent care and clinics that offer 24 hour walk-ins near you? Let us know in the comments your thoughts on the changing medical field.