Things to know Before visiting an Urgent Care Clinic in NY

If you are new to the concept of urgent care clinics in NY, you may not know how they work. Lack of knowledge and misinformation can result in changing our prescription about these facilities, obstructing you from getting the quality care they provide.

Urgent care centers are established to help people with minor medical emergencies such as minor accidents, vaccinations requirements, and diagnostic services. These centers have gained a lot of popularity for the past few years, accounting for almost 20 percent of all primary care visits in America. At the beginning of 2015, there were 7000 urgent care clinics established in the United States. Today, there are more than 8000 of them all across the country.

These clinics are widely accessible and convenient. If you are planning to visit one, there are certain things you must be familiar with before you walk-in to one of these centers.

• Find the Right Center

It’s never too early to start looking for an urgent care center. Searching for an urgent care center way before you actually need to will help you find the right urgent care center in NYC. You want to choose a clinic that is not only closer to your home but also accepts your health insurance plan. This helps you reduce your out-of-pocket expenses. Moreover, choose a center that specializes in the care you require.

• See if you Can Check in Online

The vast majority of urgent care clinics welcome walk-ins which means you don’t have to schedule an appointment prior to your visit. Since there is no appointment scheduled, the wait time may vary depending on the number of patients waiting before you in the queue. It could take anywhere between 20 minutes to an hour. This is where online check-ins come handy. Even if the urgent care clinic does not allow appointments, you can go to their website and fill in your details so that they can reserve you a spot.

• Don’t Ever Visit an Urgent Care Center for Life-Threatening Emergencies

Even though there are many medical emergencies that an urgent care center can address, life-threatening emergencies are best handled in an emergency room. An urgent care center in NY can provide care for colds, allergic reactions, bug stings, burns, urinary tract infections, and strep throat. Many centers also address small fractures and lacerations.

There is no denying the fact that urgent care centers are extremely convenient and affordable. But make sure you know when to visit an urgent care clinic.

Little Known Things About Urgent Care Center

In the modern era, medical facilities have become more convenient than ever before. But you can’t be benefitted from it if you don’t want to broaden your knowledge about the different kinds of medical care facilities. We are talking about urgent care clinics and urgent care doctors. Many people have so many misunderstandings and little knowledge about urgent care doctors and their role. In fact, some believe that urgent care is not a place to receive medical care.

But the reality is far from different. The research conducted regarding urgent care facilities and urgent care doctors has some important findings for you to see. In this blog, we will be familiar with the lesser-known facts about urgent care doctors in NYC.

So whenever you happen to have your next emergency, you will be able to make the right decision and reduce your medical expenses:

• Over 2 million people suffer from sports-related injuries or fractures every year.  Urgent care clinics can treat most but not the severe ones at cost-effective prices.
• Nearly 85% of patients who go to urgent care doctors wait for 15-20 minutes for treatment.  
• Urgent care clinics are not just for treating minor illnesses and injuries. They can conduct X-ray testing, other preventive health tests, TB tests, and STD tests as well. They also provide other medical services. 
• At emergency care, the average waiting time is over an hour.
• Majority of the patient care received at urgent care clinics are finished within an hour
• 90% of urgent care clinics are open 7 days a week and most are open 24 hours a day also.
• If you are wondering if urgent care clinics have a doctor, then half of the urgent care clinics are equipped by qualified physicians. 
• As compared to the emergency room, urgent care is 50 % less in medical costs. 
• 30% of patients reached emergency care could be treated at urgent care clinics.  
• Urgent care centers are equipped with some of the best doctors.

To wrap it up!
Urgent care centers are fast and convenient medical services. Many people are not aware of the services it provides and thus, they fail to take benefits. Emergency rooms can charge you higher for the same medical services which can be treated at a cheaper rate by urgent care centers. 

Top 4 Myths About Urgent Care In NYC You Don’t Need To Believe Now

Over time, people’s healthcare needs have also changed. They look for more convenient and affordable options. Urgent care clinics are playing an essential role in identifying and meeting those needs of patients. In fact, they are becoming very popular among patients for receiving immediate and quick medical care for minor illnesses. However, along with the increasing trend, there are some popular myths that stop people from going to urgent care doctors and receive convenient medical care.

Keep reading to know the myths and misconceptions about urgent care in NYC and see them debunked in the blog.

Urgent Care Are Same As A Emergency Room
Although urgent care treats a variety of diseases and illnesses, they are not ideal for life-threating conditions. Life-threating medical conditions require a visit to emergency rooms.
Emergency rooms also treat minor illnesses but the cost of treatment is usually higher. However, in the case of urgent care centers, they have affordable rates for minor illnesses or injuries.

Hospitals deliver better quality care than urgent care clinics
Some people have this myth that medical care at urgent clinics is not as standard as provided in hospitals. Well, there is no truth in it. Urgent care clinics are equipped with qualified and skilled doctors and staff. So you are going to get quality treatment and care there.

Urgent care centers are only for walk-in facilities
It is true that you can walk-in urgent care centers and receive treatment anytime. They do acknowledge appointments. Same-day appointments are also available at urgent care clinics.  So you can schedule an appointment to avoid a little waiting time too.

You can replace urgent your regular doctor with an urgent care doctor
Yes, they are a great alternative to receive the same type of treatment and care for various diseases from your general physician. But they can’t replace them. You should not stop visiting your regular doctor for regular health checkups and monitoring your on-going health conditions.

Urgent Care is costly
They are in fact cheaper than all other healthcare facilities available. Conditions that are treated at emergency departments in much higher rates are much cheaper in urgent care clinics. Many healthcare insurance policies cover urgent care also.

Healthcare facilities are becoming more and more convenient in today’s times. We should be knowledgeable enough to identify those and see convenient and affordable alternatives rather than paying more for the same type of services.

Urgent care Clinics: Pros and Cons

There is not much clarity in people when it comes to having healthcare services. In the past few years, innovative and fast healthcare services have been introduced to people for providing better healthcare. There is much hype about walk-in clinics and their role and services. If you are baffled about when to go to urgent clinics or when not to go, this blog is here to help you with useful information about urgent care clinics in NYC.

In this blog, we are going to shed some light on the subject of Urgent care clinics and what are their pros and cons. 
Let’s first learn about the urgent care clinic 

Urgent clinics employ professional medical specialists to provide urgent medical care services to people. They are also known as Walk-in clinics because you can visit these clinics when you need urgent care without a prior appointment. 

Pros for Urgent Care Clinics

• In urgent care clinics, common illnesses and injuries are treated without the need for scheduling appointments. You don’t need to have an appointment to visit qualified medical experts in an urgent clinic.
• Urgent clinics offer flexible hours, even people with busy schedules and life can find time to visit and have treatment for common and non-emergency diseases.
• People suffering from common illnesses and mild to moderate injuries can get treatment from urgent clinics.
• Unlike other clinics, there is no need to stand in queue for long hours. In urgent care clinics, you have lesser waiting time as compared to emergency rooms.
• Anyone can go and get the treatment on a walk-in basis.
• Urgent care clinics are open 365 days and at odd hours.

Cons for Urgent Care Clinics

•  They are not the places to go for life-threatening or critical medical conditions.
• Medical records of patients are not available.
• You can only go to urgent care doctors for treating common and minor medical conditions or minor injuries.
• There may not be the same medical doctor to treat you every time you visit the clinic.

Now that you are aware of the pros and cons of urgent care clinics in NYC, this will help you decide when to visit urgent care clinics or when not to.

When To Visit Urgent Care Clinics?

In the past, when people had suffered from illnesses and diseases, they had to visit emergency rooms. And then, there is a long queue and waiting time. But we are fortunate that today our life is much easier than before. Urgent care clinics are in place to give treatment to people promptly when they are suffering from non-life-threatening diseases.

The healthcare sector is now seeing good growth in the number of walk-in care centers across the world. More than 15000 urgent care clinics are expected to be opening by 2020. People from NY are now visiting urgent care clinics more than often. They are an important healthcare resource where people can go when their primary care doctor is not available or hospitals are closed.

Unlike other clinics and hospitals, they don’t ask for appointments. You can visit walk-in clinics on weekends, holidays as they are open 24*7.

When not to go to walk-in clinics?

People with life-threating diseases such as heart stroke, heart attack, or any serious medical condition should never visit walk-in clinics. These conditions require a visit to emergency rooms. Walk-in clinics are not the place to go for emergency conditions. Urgent care centers offer medical care services for minor health problems or diseases that need urgent care but are not life-threatening.

Here are the most common medical necessities that an urgent care clinic can provide:

Non-life threatening diseases: NY urgent care clinics have certified and licensed healthcare experts to treat minor injuries and diseases.

Minor physical injuries: Cuts that don’t involve much blood but might need stitches, lacerations, sprains,  minor burns, minor broken bones, and fractures. The urgent care clinic house trained medical doctors to treat these conditions.

Vaccinations: If you are planning an international trip, you need to have seasonal flu vaccines and regional specific vaccines to stay healthy and disease-free through your travel journey. They provide vaccinations but this might require you to book an appointment beforehand.

If you are looking for urgent care within 24 hours for the following problem, you can turn to walk-in clinics.

• Moderate back problems 
• Sprains and strains
• Breathing problems
• Diagnostic services, (X-rays and laboratory tests)
• Fever or flu
• Vomiting
• Diarrhea
• Severe sore throat or cough
• Skin rashes, skin infections, and eye irritations.
• Urinary tract infections

There are medical conditions that need urgent medical care by healthcare experts other than your primary doctor. Urgent clinics are open 24*7 and usually require no appointment.

What Has Led To An Exponential Growth Of Urgent Care Clinics?

Over the past few years, the urgent care industry has been experiencing exponential growth in the United States and throughout the world. This has happened because more and more patients started to seek on-demand care for non-life threatening conditions. Well, much of urgent care Clinic growth is fueled by diversifying patients who need immediate access to on-demand and specialized medical care. 

Urgent care facilities play an important role in providing patients with a wide range of care services who failed to see their primary care doctors for various reasons. In 2017, the total number of urgent care centers in the United States was 8,125 which increased by eight percent to 8,774 in 2018. 

Urgent care clinics in NY are continuously booming for various good reasons - meeting public demand and reducing costs and convenience. 

If you want to know what has led the number of  to increase exponentially, you’re on the right page. In this post, we will explain the things that are behind the growth of urgent care centers. 

Urgent care clinics are meeting the public demand - When it comes to seeking medical care, patients want quick services and don’t want to wait in long queues outside the doctor's clinic. With walk-in appointments and longer hours, these clinics are able to meet public demands that traditional doctor’s offices failed to offer. 

Apart from this, urgent care facilities also offer other benefits such as their ground-floor locations that offer easier access to patients and same-day appointment with their online calendar program. 

Reduced cost of healthcare services - By visiting this clinic, you can save a lot of your money as compared to emergency rooms, which may get heavy on your pocket. Reduced cost of healthcare services is another reason why more and more people are choosing this type of healthcare facility.

Well, the cost of healthcare services at these healthcare centers are similar to primary care physician’s clinics but much less than emergency rooms. Also, as compared to primary care doctor’s clinics, urgent care Clinic offer more services with walk-in appointments.