Top challenges faced by the urgent care clinics

Do you know urgent care clinics are like the Starbucks of the healthcare industry? That means, today, there are plenty of centers in the United States helping patients with urgent medical care. While various exciting things are happening in the urgent care world, these healthcare facilities still face challenges.

Let’s have a look at some of these challenges faced by the urgent care clinics in NYC.

Why choose urgent care clinics?

One of the major challenges is when people asked why Visit urgent care clinics or walk in clinics, as we have primary care physicians to treat common healthcare problems. Well, urgent care clinics are designed to meet an important niche in terms of accessibility, availability and cost. For example, if you get cold and your primary care physician is too busy to take an appointment, you can switch to urgent care clinic. Remember, these healthcare facilities can’t replace primary care physicians, as they are well-familiar with the patient’s history.

Do urgent care centers offer the same services as emergency rooms?

Well, the most common reasons why people visit urgent care centers are pediatric and orthopedic issues. When it comes to emergency room doctors or primary care physicians, they are not trained in treating subtle orthopedic or pediatric problems. In fact, according to the University of Maryland School of Medicine Study conducted in 2014, 90% of pediatric issues are not treated correctly in Emergency rooms and urgent care centers. As a result, these problems can cause further problems such as skin issues, joint dysfunction and poor pain reduction.

For example, if some with fracture visits urgent care clinic, the physician may give ibuprofen to reduce the pain and ask to rest. When in reality, the person needs an X-ray. Hence, urgent care clinics are not reliable for treating fractures, and if you go, the actual treatment may get delayed.

Have you noticed the rise in the use of urgent care clinics?

Nearly 10 to 15 years ago, urgent care clinics were a new in the medical field, and people were doubtful about them. But today, things have changed, people have started noticing the potentials of urgent care centers. And urgent care clinics are getting patients with problems that need urgent medical care. On the other hand, if someone is suffering from chest pain and go to an urgent care clinic, they won’t get a thrombolytic therapy to diagnose a heart attack or stroke.

These are some of the challenges that urgent care clinics face. However, the future holds many promises.

Which Benefits Of Urgent Care Make Them A Popular Option?

When someone gets sick, they look for hassle free (not waiting in long queues for the right medical assistance) medical treatment. This is to ensure that the illness can be diagnosed quickly and appropriate measures can be taken on time to prevent it. We often usually visit our primary healthcare physician to get the right medical assistance. However, there are times when you primary physician is not available or you are unable to get a quick appointment. This is where urgent care clinics come into the picture.

Here are a few points that explains why urgent care clinics are a right option when looking for immediate medical attention.

Meeting public demand: No one wishes to wait in long queue for doctor’s appointment when their loved one needs immediate attention. I mean you can understand, the explosion in population will lay its impact everywhere. So, if you are running out of time then urgent care clinic is your safest bet. In urgent care clinic, you can easily get the required medical care on a walk-in appointment. Unless its an emergency or you have to be referred to an emergency room, you can completely rely on urgent care clinics. But remember, urgent care clinics works on private elements such as ground-floor locations and the ability to schedule same-day appointments using an online calendar program.

Moreover, if you are not quite sure about health care facilities where your test can be done or specialist whom you can get in touch for medical care, then walk in clinic’s professionals can suggest you the best.

Reducing healthcare costs: Another advantage of urgent care clinics that make it a preferred option for many people is its reduced healthcare costs. These clinics are comparatively more affordable than emergency departments and sometimes primary physicians. Now, due to walk in clinic, you don’t need to visit emergency healthcare centers, especially at a time when you are not experiencing a life-threatening medical condition. Believe it, this will be going to save you tons of money. The cost of an urgent care clinic visit is almost similar to a primary care physician.

According to a report of 2015, the average price per patient was $2,259 and $2,199 at a freestanding emergency care clinic. Whereas, searcher concluded that its only $168 that patients need to spend at urgent care clinics.

Faster, easier, cheaper: In context to the above points, the urgent cares are quite beneficial for aging patients as well as for people living in rural areas. The percentage of healthcare insurance claim has seen a significant growth with increase in urgent healthcare facilities.

These are the few benefits of urgent care clinics that make it a preferred option by many patients in the US.

Sinusitis: Causes and Symptoms

Be it an irritating cold in the chilly winter season or a triggered dust allergy, the nasal throbbing and congestion from sinusitis is always a big issue to handle. It is very important to understand what triggers the allergy and take the necessary steps. 

But what exactly is sinusitis?

When the para-nasal sinuses become inflamed, the cavities that produce mucus to keep the nasal passage clear and smooth stops working efficiently. In order to seek immediate medical attention, you can visit urgent care clinic in NY.

 

Sinusitis can be chronic or acute. The reasons for developing sinusitis can be many. It can be because of fungi, bacteria, viruses, allergies, or an autoimmune reaction.

Sinusitis is very uncomfortable and irritating. It generally goes away without any medical intervention. But if the signs are lethal, you might need to seek urgent care in NYC.

Causes of Sinusitis

There can be various factors because of which sinusitis can get triggered. It is basically a result of fluid getting accumulated in the sinuses of the nasal passage. This triggers the build up of germs in the sinuses.

• Pollutants
• Viral infections
• Fungi
• Bacterial infections

Symptoms of sinusitis

Symptoms depend largely on the severity and duration of the infection. In case an individual experiences more than three symptoms out of the below mentioned list, it is recommended to visit a walk in clinic. If the mucus is yellowish in color or thick, then the patient can have acute sinusitis.

Below mentioned is a list of the possible symptoms of sinusitis:

• Thick mucus
• Facial pain
• Nose blockage
• Nasal congestion
• Major cough
• Diminishing sense of smell
• Fever
• Headache
• Toothache
• tiredness

Diagnosing sinusitis In order to diagnose sinusitis, your doctor will first physically examine your condition and draft the symptoms. The doctor at the walk in clinic will make use of a special tool to internally examine the nasal cavity and check the severity of the infection. The Doctor makes use of a device known as an otoscope.

It is best to visit an ENT doctor (ear, nose, and throat) for a detailed examination. In case the sinusitis is severe, you might require a CT scan. If the pain is unbearable, you can visit an Urgent Care clinic in NYC.

How Urgent Care Clinics Have Changed The Phase Of Medical Field?

Urgent care clinics are ever emerging healthcare and wellness specialty centers. These centers not only meet the patient needs for convenience and healthcare services but also reroute the care needs. With the long waits at the emergency room and busy appointment schedules of primary care physicians, urgent care has become one of the fastest growing segments in healthcare. Hence, it has created more opportunities for nurses who’re looking for alternatives to conventional clinical roles. 

What do urgent care clinics offer?

When it comes to urgent care clinics, they offer urgent medical care for a number of non-life-threatening, yet urgent health conditions. These clinics consider every single detail; hence, nurses who want to work there must possess excellent problem-solving skills, strong assessment skills, adaptability, and IV start and phlebotomy skills. And they should be able to develop a comfort level with every patient regardless of the age.

Healthcare professionals that work in Urgent care clinics

Usually, nurses work under the direct supervision of a physician assistant or nurse practitioner in urgent care center. This is because medical doctors handle other complex health conditions. Yes, there are some similarities for nurses to work in a hospital and urgent care clinic but with no interruptions from the ancillary services.

 

Most urgent care clinics are equipped with an in-house testing facility, and the nurse is required to obtain and prepare specimen samples for testing. And some centers may even have an on-site radiology suite. If urgent care clinics get more complex cases, they are immediately referred to the emergency department or to specialists.

Where can you find urgent care clinic?

Well, an urgent care clinic can either be freestanding or can be found in an affiliated hospital. One of the major advantages of working in an urgent care clinic is that the working hours are more predictable as compared to emergency department. And the likelihood of burnout is comparatively lower.