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. 

What Urgent Care Expects From Patients Before A Visit?

For health-related problems, doctors are your safest bet. Doctors are proficient and are responsible to help you. And as a matter of fact, no two health problems are the same and so are their treatment options.

So, here are the things that help you understand the responsibility of emergency and urgent care clinics.   

How emergency and urgent care are different from each other?

An emergency room offers treatment for the following problems:

• Gunshot or deep knife wounds
• Fever in infants younger than 3 months.
• Convulsions and Seizures
• Pregnancy Complications
• Moderate to severe burns
• Poisoning
• Compound Fractures
• Severe pain

Compared to this, urgent healthcare includes managing acute conditions that do not pose a major health risk. Visit urgent healthcare clinics if you suffer from the following types of conditions:

• Accidents and falls
• Severe Rashes
• Vomiting, diarrhea, and dehydration
• Breathing problems such as asthma attacks
• Minor fractures or breaks
• Cuts that require stitching
• Severe throat infections

What are the qualities of an urgent care clinic?
Diagnostic Instruments - All urgent care clinics are equipped with some diagnostic instruments to assess patient conditions. These include point of care equipment, such as:

• Blood Glucose Monitors
• Blood Sample analysis equipment
• Urine Analysis Equipment
• Home Pregnancy Tests

Treatment Instruments - Urgent care centers are always stocked with an ample supply of medical instruments that can help treat minor injuries.

• Syringes
• Disinfectants
• Bandages
• Stitches

Over the Counter Medications

Accept Walk-in Patients -
Urgent care centers provide ambulatory services, sometimes to the same degree as Emergency rooms. You should not have to make an appointment to go to an urgent care center. The demand of urgent care requires urgent care centers to accept walk-in patients during business hours.

Have multiple examination rooms -
Urgent care clinics should have multiple examination rooms to extend services to as many people as possible. Urgent care centers are well aware of this requirement and the best clinics make sure they comply with this requirement.

Urgent care clinics allow you to get the much-needed treatment without having to wait in long queues or book a prior appointment.

Walk-In Clinic: Things to expect while visiting

Your primary healthcare physician is too busy to give you an appointment and your health concern isn’t serious enough for an emergency room. So, you’re planning to visit a walk-in-clinic for the first time, it alright! We can understand that the first time can bring an intimidating experience for most people, especially if someone is seriously ill or injured. Therefore, in this post, we will explain what to expect during your first visit to a walk-in-clinic.

If you know what to expect while visiting a walk-in-clinic for the first time, you can calm your nerves and solve all the problems that come on your way.

Here are some of the things you may expect when visiting a walk-in clinic for the first time. 

Minimum waiting time - Most people when they hear walk-in-Clinic assume that they don’t have to wait to see a physician. Please remember, the doctors at a walk-in clinic take enough time to check their patients and provide them quality care, so you may expect some waiting. 

However, the wait time at an urgent care clinic, also referred to as walk-in-clinic is not more than 30 minutes, which is comparatively shorter than waiting at the doctor’s office or emergency room. 

High-quality care and services - Of course, you can’t get treated for life-threatening problems at walk-in-Clinic, but when it comes to treating minor injuries or illnesses, they offer fantastic care. Whether you have flu symptoms, deep cut or muscle strain, you can get it treated at a walk-in-clinic. 

Friendly atmosphere - We all know that emergency rooms are usually packed with several critical cases on a regular basis. This means the entire staff and the doctors are usually under stress to treat patients with severe conditions as soon as possible. 

On the contrary, urgent care clinics offer relaxed environment and friendly staff, making it easier for children and nervous patients to get treated. 

Diagnosis & treatment - Well, most of the urgent care clinics offer testing facilities. This means you can get your non-life threatening illnesses or injuries diagnosed at walk-in-clinic and accordingly get the suitable treatment plan.

The conclusion 

Hopefully, after reading this post, now you know what to expect at your first visit to a walk-in-clinic. Hence, you can confidently get your illness diagnosed or treated at the center itself. 

When Is The Right Time To Visit An Urgent Care Center?

The body’s immune system can become weak because of a lot of factors. Injuries and ailments can lessen your body’s immunity. Imagine a situation in which you are wearing your favorite 5’’ heels, you step out of the house to party with your friends, and trip over on the stairs. You get injured badly and need to seek immediate medical attention. It’s late and all general physicians have shut. Where will you go in such a situation? Your best bet in such a situation is to visit Urgent Care Doctors.

It is important that you understand what an urgent care center is and what injuries can be treated. Knowing about a source can help you in relieving stress and save you some money as well.

What can be treated? 
A variety of illnesses and ailments can be treated by visiting urgent care centers and consulting
Urgent Care Doctors. Some symptoms that can be evaluated and treated using urgent care facilities are:

• Minor cuts & burns
• Lacerations
• Ear pain
• Rashes
• Dehydration
• Cough
• Cold
• Flu
• Wounds
• Infections
• Fractures and pains

Why choose urgent care? 
In case you require urgent care medical facilities to treat infections and allergies, you must visit an urgent care center. Urgent care centers are open 24*7 to render medical services to patients. Urgent care centers will provide you comprehensive medical attention on the spot. The doctors at urgent care centers are experienced and qualified and will prescribe you the best possible medical services.

Making an informed decisionIf you are not sure about visiting an urgent care center or are skeptical about where should you seek urgent care medication, you can call your doctor’s office and ask for suggestions. When you have to treat some serious ailments, consulting Urgent Care Doctors in NYC is your best bet.

Facts about Urgent Care Clinics that you must know!!

Anything related to health care must be considered in priority. Surely, convenience is an important aspect to consider for getting the right treatment in the least possible time. But as the population is growing, the rate of patients visiting hospitals and healthcare centers is also increasing at a fast rate. Thus, it won't be convenient to book same-day appointments and seek quality treatment conveniently at hospitals and primary care healthcare centers. And thus the concept of urgent care clinics came into existence.    

Here are facts related to Urgent Care Clinics that help you understand the role of urgent clinics in a better manner.

These are not retail clinics - First and most important that you must know about Urgent Care Clinics is that these are not like retail stores. The basic role of these clinics is to treat uncomplicated minor illnesses and provide preventive services for problems like sore throat/Strep Throat, Sinus Infection, Cough/Fever, Sinusitis, Urinary Tract Infection, Ear Ache/Blockage, Seasonal Allergies, Asthma, Skin Condition, Nausea/Vomiting/Diarrhea, Joint Pain, Nasal Congestion, Pink Eye/Styes, Back Pain, Headache/Migraine, Deer Tick Bite, Allergic Reaction, Wart Treatment and many more. They focus on treating injuries or illnesses that require immediate care but should not require an emergency room (ER) visits.

Reduce unnecessary ER visits - No matter whether it is a case of urgency or emergency, people run to emergency centers if they do not have an appointment or can get it done at their primary care physician’s clinic. This thing sooner or later increases the traffic of patients to emergency rooms. Urgent care clinics mean patients no longer have to run to the ER to get the treatment for a sore throat or skin infection.

Get prescription for most medicine - The doctors and physicians can prescribe most medicines, but not for all. Doctors are able to prescribe medications like antibiotics, allergy and asthma medications, short-term pain medications, one-time maintenance medications, antiviral medications, and medications for stomach conditions. They will not be able to prescribe refills, narcotics, long-term pain medications, or anti-anxiety medications.

We hope these facts about Urgent Care Clinics have helped you understand the significance of it.

Wart: Symptoms And Treatment

Have you ever experienced an uneven growth on your skin and ignored the symptoms? This growth could be a possible outcome of a virus known as the human papillomavirus (HPV). In common terms, this disease is known as warts.

People falling into any age group can get exposed to this virus. Warts can appear as a solid blister. The shape can vary depending on the degree of inflammation. Sometimes it can appear like a tiny cauliflower, or even black dots on the skin. This is a result of blood clots in the vessels that regulate the flow of blood in the body. It is essential to visit Urgent care NYC in case you develop the symptoms of warts.

Warts is a highly contagious disease. This virus can spread easily through direct skin-to-skin contact. Warts can be treated easily, but the process might take a long time.

Categories of warts
Different categories of warts are mentioned below:


Flat Warts:

• Smaller in size and shape
• Target thighs, arms, and face
• Cannot be diagnosed easily
• Have a flat surface

Genital Warts:

• Require immediate medical diagnosis
• Target the genital area

Plantar Warts:

• Targets the sole of the feet
• Clustered growth
• Discomfort while walking

Periungual Warts:

• Interrupts nail growth
• Splits the skin
• Painful growth

Common Warts: 

• Growth on fingers and toes
• Rough bumps on the skin
• Dark spots on the skin

Causes of warts    
Warts is an outcome of the human papillomavirus (HPV). The virus targets the top layer of the skin and goes deep within to form blisters. People who have a weak immune system are more prone to this virus. On scratching, excess keratin is secreted which develops a hard and rough texture around the skin.

Symptoms
When the skin feels irritated and itchy, it could be because of inflammation due to HPV. You might experience skin discomfort and unbearable itching. If warts are on the fingers, then the disease can be confused with various other ailments such as cysts or arthritis.

Prevention of warts
There is no possible way of preventing warts from forming in case the skin has been exposed to HPV. However, there are certain steps that you can take to prevent it from spreading further. These include the following:

• Refrain from shaving over warts
• Avoid contact with an infected person
• Wash your hands regularly
• Refrain from biting nails 

Treatment of warts
In order to treat warts, it is crucial that you visit Urgent care clinics in NYC. The doctor will examine the degree of inflammation and prescribe proper medication. Make sure you practice proper hygiene and avoid contact with an infected person as this disease is highly contagious.

An insight into Walk In Clinic and how they are beneficial to our society?

An emergency or illness can  occur at any time. And perhaps your primary care physician is currently not available and you can only get an appointment for the next week. Of course, you cannot wait that long. This is where an urgent care clinic comes into the picture. At urgent care clinic, you can walk in and see a physician right away without prior appointment. It is the best suitable place where you can get a wide variety of ailments and illnesses treatment. Many would be surprised to know that these urgent care centers have extended hours and many are open for all seven days a week. This is why, it turns out to be an excellent option when you have an illness or injury that doesn't fall within the usual eight-hour work day or one that can’t wait for another week. 

What all treatments urgent care centers deal with? 

Checking out the list of illnesses or injuries urgent care centers treat include fall and sprain, fracture, seasonal flu and many more issues. For those who are above the age of 60 and facing issues like dizziness or loss of balance then, nearby urgent care can be a good place to turn to if your primary care physician is not available. 

You can also visit urgent care for something as simple as flu, vomiting or diarrhea, or as common as strep throat, bronchitis, cold sores, pink eye, or an ear infection. Moreover, there are few centers that offer vaccines, physicals, X-rays, and STD or HIV testing, depending on their resources based on local availability.  

Where else you can find use of urgent care? 

Emergency rooms are for people who are in an emergency situation and want immediate care, for example somebody met with an accident or someone who had a heart attack. Urgent care clinics are for urgency situations. In case you are in an urgent situation, do not go to emergency care instead go to urgent care. An urgent care clinic is well-recognized to help patients with medical problems that are serious but not life-threatening. So as long as your condition is not life-threatening, you can certainly visit an urgent care clinic and get the right treatment. 

When Should I See Emergency Care? 

For life-threatening conditions, you should head straight to the emergency rooms and you need to take care that urgent care should not be substituted for emergency care. 

Walk In Clinic of NYC offers prompt, affordable, same-day appointments at our convenient midtown Manhattan urgent care medical office. Our walk in clinic in NYC provides convenient, fast care for injuries and illnesses that are serious but not life-threatening.