Visiting An Urgent Care Facility
If you're in need of medical attention but do not require an emergency room, an urgent care center could be your answer. Find urgent care clinics near you.
When you or a loved one find yourself ill, what do you do? Do you head to your nearest hospital emergency room? Or do you schedule an appointment with your primary care physician. Both of these are options for when you fall ill however they both require time and money. In order to be seen at an emergency room, you need to be severely ill or in a state that does not allow for time to wait for an appointment with your primary doctor. So, what do you do if it is hard to get into see your doctor? Urgent care is the solution. Urgent care facilities are better suited to deal with conditions such as:
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Accidents/Falls
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Bleeding/cuts
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Difficulty breathing
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Lab tests and other diagnostic services
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Eye redness or irritation
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Fever
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Flu like symptoms
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Minor broken bones or fractures
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Back problems
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Sore throat
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Cough
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Skin irritation or rashes
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Sprains
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UTI
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Vomiting
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Diarrhea
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Dehydration
While it is suggested to see your primary care doctor, those are some of the types of conditions that most urgent care facilities see.
Urgent Care for an Emergency?
While it may seem like a good idea to go to an urgent care facility for an emergency, it is best to go straight to the emergency room for conditions that require immediate medical attention. Emergency room doctors are equipped to handle a serious illness or injury but an urgent care facility possesses the same types of skilled doctors and nurses. A trip to the emergency room may lead to unnecessary tests and procedures that could add up in costs. Emergency room visits can also be time consuming as many other patients may come in that require immediate attention that takes precedence over other patients waiting to be seen in an emergency room.
Cost to Visit an Urgent Care Facility
While an urgent care facility is cheaper than the expense of going to an emergency room, there are still some expenses to be expected. Most urgent care facilities are owned by hospitals therefore the billing can actually be billed through your insurance. Most medical insurance providers require a specific copay for any urgent care facility visited. Make sure to see what your copay is for an urgent care visit before you go. The average cost of urgent care copays ranges from $25 to $75. You have to remember that insurance companies set the urgent care copay, not the urgent care facility. A visit to an urgent care facility without using insurance can add up quickly if a lot of tests or x-rays are run. An x-ray can cost anywhere from $75 to $125 without any insurance being used.
Urgent Care Facilities Nearby
Depending on where you live, there may be some urgent care facilities that are contracted/owned by a bigger hospital provider. Some of the bigger urgent care facility chains include the following:
If you’re unsure what urgent care facility to visit near you, make sure to check your insurance plan to see what urgent care providers are allowed under your plan as well as where they are located. Some urgent care facilities operate 24 hours a day, but some are on limited hours, so make sure to check before you go!
