Urgent care 24 hours

When you are sick, you want immediate care. If over-the-counter medication does not work, the only choice is to reach out to your physician. But it can be hard to get a hold of your doctor, especially if you are calling outside of normal business hours. Only about 30% of primary care physicians offer after hours urgent care, and many doctors are booked out for at least a week.

In these cases, the best thing to do would be to head to a local urgent care center. You could always go to a hospital emergency room, but you will have to wait for hours before being seen, especially if your illness is not life threatening. At an urgent care center, you can be seen within 20 minutes, and there are walk in doctors that can treat you and have you out of the clinic within an hour.

Urgent care facilities are staffed with licensed nurses, medical assistants, and they also have a physician on-site at all times. Walk in doctors and medical professionals can evaluate and treat most non-life threatening illnesses that are acute, such as ear infections, the flu, upper respiratory infections, and minor lacerations. Many facilities have also begun providing x-rays, routine physicals, and lab services.

Because these centers are open 7 days a week, and often offer extended after hours care, as well as 24 hour urgent care in some areas, they are becoming one of the most popular treatment facilities in the country. This has also made urgent care centers the fastest growing sector of the health care industry in America. In addition, they are one of the most affordable. The average cost of an urgent care center visit is under $150, whereas the average ER visit can be as hefty as $1,000.

To get great care at an affordable price, with the least amount of wait, consider visiting an urgent care center the next time you are sick. You will get the same quality care as your own doctor can provide, and be on your way to feeling healthy again in no time. Learn more about this topic here.