Urgent care can be a great option in specific circumstances. For instance, it’s perfect when you need medical treatment sooner than you can visit your primary care physician. Further, urgent care is convenient when your issue isn’t severe enough for an emergency room visit. Before you rush in for a visit, use this list to learn what to know before going to urgent care.
There Are Average Wait Times
Many urgent care patients wait under 15 minutes to see a physician, but the average time many patients wait is between 15 and 45 minutes. Consider that you may have a long wait, especially if you visit at peak times for that location. While this seems like a long while, consider that it’s significantly less time than emergency room waits. Often, you can check in online to cut down that wait time even more.
Patients Must Pay
Simply put, you will have to pay for services rendered at urgent care. The good news is that urgent care is typically much cheaper than an ER visit, which can cost upwards of 1,000 dollars for insured patients. Urgent care patients usually have a co-pay of somewhere between 35 to 75 dollars, plus fees for any tests. Urgent care patients will have to pay with cash or credit prior to treatment if they don’t have insurance.
Services Will Vary
You can avoid a wasted trip by learning what to know before going to urgent care. It’s no fun to go to urgent care, only to find out that it can’t actually help you. Thus, before you go to a clinic, you should check that it will offer the services you need. Luckily, you can call urgent care facilities to ask several key questions, including precisely which services they offer. For example, some locations may have an x-ray, while others may only perform basic tests and treatments.
Many Clinics Offer Telemedicine
Finally, consider the ability to use telemedicine. Many urgent care clinics now allow you to see an expert without ever setting foot in their office. By discussing a list of symptoms that you’re experiencing, many physicians can offer you treatment advice over video calls.
This is an excellent option for getting quick treatment, especially since a doctor anywhere within your home state can help treat you. Now that you know more about urgent care, you can make the most out of your time there if you ever need to visit.
