The Urgent Care experience is a medical appointment somewhere in between a regular doctor’s office visit and a trip to the local hospital’s emergency room. The benefits of this treatment model include that no appointment is necessary; a wide range of services are available; and there’s no long wait as one would expect from a traditional ER facility. What should a patient expect if he or she chooses to visit the local urgent care clinic? Here are some things to think about
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- Size: These clinics are smaller than a hospital setting. The building may be free standing or it may be a suite of offices in a strip of separate businesses and shops. There is usually a receptionist and intake portion where a patient would check in and fill out the appropriate paperwork. A comfortable waiting room with chairs, tables and magazines are available to make the wait time fairly comfortable. A television set may be available for an additional source of entertainment within the lobby. Through the lobby door
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- Check in: During the check in, the clerical staff collect personal information and insurance forms. Forms and questionnaires will be filled out by patients, as well. Now it’s time to settle in and wait for a nurse to call your name and escort you back to one of the examining rooms.
- Treatment options and services: A clinic’s doctors can treat a variety of ailments including bronchitis, sore throats, broken bones, sprained muscles, rashes, urinary tract infections and more. Routine exams such as those for sports participation, well baby or well woman checks can be performed here as well. Lab work
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- What can’t be treated here: There are some situations which the typical Urgent Care clinic is not properly staffed for. Some examples would be behavioral health emergencies such as psychosis or mental breakdowns, chest pains that could be a heart attack, severe stomach distress, and injuries resulting in unconsciousness. For these dire situations, a trip to the emergency ward or a 911 phone call to the paramedics is in order.
- Staff: The doctors and nurses on staff at an Urgent Care facility are specially trained in situations that urgently need attention. Acute disease treatment is the specialty of these team members. The secretarial staff is trained to be more personable and welcoming than the average hospital emergency room. Some intake personnel and ER receptionists at large hospitals may be so overworked and weary that they come across as lacking welcoming skills and compassion. This is not the case with smaller clinics.
- Fee Payment: There are multiple options, including insurance billing, cash or credit card options.
An Urgent Care facility may be the best place to go for an array of health care needs. It’s in between a traditional doctor appointment and a visit to the ER and therefore might be just the right option.