How Urgent Care Centers are Helping the American Healthcare System

In the United States, an estimated 20,000 doctors practice urgent care medicine. This type of medical care, which is designed to quickly treat medical conditions that require immediate attention but are non-life-threatening, is gradually changing the healthcare system: today, thanks to urgent care centers, it is easier than ever to access affordable, quality clinical treatment. Could an urgent care medical clinic help you and your loved ones? Read on to find out.

Urgent care clinics are primarily designed to help relieve pressure on local doctors offices and emergency rooms, which often find themselves an overwhelming number of patients. As a result of this, urgent care medical clinics simultaneously create a beneficial opportunity for their patients, who might otherwise pay thousands dollars for unnecessary emergency room care. Urgent care facilities, in contrast, typically charge a co-pay similar to what a doctor would charge, making them significantly less expensive. Additionally, most urgent care centers in the United States accept health insurance plans to cover payment.

Urgent care medical clinics also offer a number of other benefits to their patients, including convenience: the American Academy of Urgent Care Medicine requires urgent care centers in the United States to be open 7 days a week, a stipulation 85% of facilities adhere to. An estimated 70% of urgent care centers are also open by 8 AM, and most encourage patients to walk in at their convenience rather than schedule an appointment. And because an estimated 50% of urgent care medical clinics in the U.S. are owned by physicians, the centers are guaranteed to provide trustworthy medical care. For these reasons, urgent care centers have been extremely successful across the nation, and many are now able to expand: an estimated 55% of urgent care facilities in the United States have been in business for five years or longer, and an estimated 9,000 are interested in opening a new branch or expanding. The next time you or a loved one faces a non-emergency medical problem, take advantage of the changing healthcare system: skip the hospital and visit an urgent care center.
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