When you or someone in your family are ill or inured, the natural response is usually to go to see your primary care physician. If it’s past normal business hours, however, you may be inclined to visit the hospital emergency room. When you aren’t facing a serious or life-threatening situation, however, then you may want to consider visiting an urgent care center instead.
When Should I Go to Urgent Care?
When you’re not sure when it’s a good idea to go to an urgent care center, there are a variety of situations where it would be a good idea. Ankle sprains and bone fractures are both situations where it is a good idea to seek medical care. On a daily basis, for example, 25,000 people within the United States sprain their ankle. Fractures are common as well, and four out of urgent care facilities will be able to provide an assessment and treatment.
Physicians will inform you that they often see patients that complain about dizziness. A recent survey showed that it is the second most common complaint that they hear. While this dizziness may be related to another issue, it is often associated with colds, flus, and ear infections, On an annual basis, children as well as adults will experience roughly one billion colds. While flu season is common during the winter months, there are strains that affect people throughout the year. Ear infections are common with children, and five out of six of them will have a minimum of one ear infection before they’re three years of age. About 40% of children under three years of age will have had three or more ear infections.
There are other issues that are common with children, which can also be treated at an urgent care center. The 2014 National Health Interview Survey, for example, found that children within the United States experienced allergies at these percentage levels during the time period of the survey:
- Hay fever: 8.4%
- Respiratory allergies: 10%
- Food allergies: 5.4%
- Skin allergies: 11.6%
How Much Is an Urgent Care Visit?How much is an urgent care visit?” it’s important to realize that this will vary. Some urgent care facilities, for example, have free clinics. Other urgent care centers accept insurance. Overall, however, an urgent care visit will cost considerably less than a visit to the hospital emergency room.
Learn More About the Services Available at an Urgent Care Center
It’s important to note that you don’t need to be injured or ill to visit an urgent care center. These facilities also provide preventative care, such as flu shots and other types of vaccinations, You can also receive wellness check-ups or physicals at an urgent care clinic.
Since there is an urgent care center located near your home, place of employment, or children’s school, you can visit them to learn more about their available services. You don’t need to have an appointment to do so, either. When you walk into an urgent care center, you can ask them, “How much is an urgent care visit?”