Whether you are traveling, need medical help quickly, or are unable to see your primary care doctor, sometimes visiting a walk in clinic is the best option. Walk in clinics, often referred to as urgent care clinics, offer medical care for those who need medical attention as soon as possible but who aren't injured or ill enough to go to the emergency room. Here are three things that you should keep in mind when visiting a walk in or urgent care clinic.
Wait Times Can Vary
While many find that they are seen immediately when they visit an urgent care or walk in clinic, sometimes that is not the case. Wait times at these clinics can vary depending on the number of patients and what time of the day you visit. The good news is that walk in clinics typically stay open later than the offices of primary care physicians. On average, the wait time at a walk in clinic is around 30 minutes. The average wait time at the emergency room is 4.5 hours. In most cases, visiting a walk in clinic is going to be one of the quickest ways to get urgent care.
What Can Be Treated
Another thing to consider when going to a walk in clinic is whether or not your medical condition can be treated effectively. There are a lot of situations where going to a walk in clinic is a good option; however, in some situations a visit to the emergency room may be more appropriate. Walk in clinics can treat sprains, broken bones, fever, vomiting, diarrhea, sore throats, coughs, mild or moderate asthma attacks, mild burns, and more. However, if you have severe symptoms, such as not being able to breathe, deep cuts that require stitches, head trauma, chest pain, seizures, or other serious symptoms, you should consider the emergency room instead.
Cost
Cost is also something to keep in mind when you are going to a walk in clinic or an urgent care clinic. Costs can vary depending on whether or not you have health insurance, the treatment received, and the rates of the clinic. Health insurance typically covers much of the cost of a visit with just a deductible or co-pay being charged. With insurance, you can expect to pay between $35 and $100 for a visit to a walk in clinic. The cost without insurance is typically between $71 and $125.
If you need quick medical attention, a walk in clinic may be able to help. Wait times can vary, but it is typically more convenient than making an appointment with your primary care physician and faster than the emergency room. Walk in clinics can treat a variety of health concerns and symptoms, but if you have life-threatening symptoms, you should go to the emergency room. Costs can vary, but most walk in clinics are affordable.
For more information, contact a local clinic like MED7 Urgent Care Center.
Share28 June 2018
Having a daughter comes with a number of challenges. One challenge that you will one day need to tackle is determining when to introduce your daughter to the gynecologist. Do you take your daughter to the same gynecologist that you see or take her somewhere else? Do you wait until she gets her first period or do you take her in to learn about the menstrual cycle from the doctor? There is a long list of questions you likely have about introducing your daughter to the world of gynecology. Having gone through this twice myself, I have learned quite a bit and have included a lot of helpful information in my site to help other parents get through this complicated time a little easier.
