Could 24 hour urgent care facilities save the American health care system? With all of this commotion over the Affordable Care Act, one can not be entirely certain where our future will lead us, as it pertains to receiving medical care.
Will it truly be affordable? Will the quality be acceptable? When looking at the services you receive from a typical urgent care facility, at a great urgent care cost, we are left with no worries. Immediate care is the way to go when you are met with an emergency illness or injury.
According to a survey conducted by the Urgent Care Association of America, 57 percent of patients wait only about 15 minutes or less to be seen by a doctor. And about 80 percent of patients are consulted within an hour of waiting. Considering the often low urgent care cost, why would you ever go to an emergency room?
The urgent care cost is not the only reason such centers are rapidly growing in popularity. They are heralded for their ability to take on walk ins, generally have shorter wait times than the ER, and have much more convenient hours than a private physician office. For the urgent care cost, you get speedy care, and convenience.
Only 29 percent of all primary care physicians offer after hours care, and that number continues to dwindle year after year. For a small urgent care cost, you can receive treatments and diagnoses from a mix of expert nurses, nurse practitioners, and physicians aids. Sixty five percent of all urgent care centers have a physician on the premises at all times as well.
It is estimated that three million patients visit urgent care centers every week in the United States! With the level of care one receives, and the affordable urgent care cost, this truly comes as no surprise. Urgent care is just the logical thing to do when an emergency strikes.