Over the years we have been trained to deal with medical emergencies in a specific way. We have learned to first assess the symptoms or injuries. Secondly, we need to determine the severity of the emergency. A patient must decide if they need immediate medical attention or if they can wait for an appointment with their primary medical provider. In a case where one requires immediate medical attention, our prior knowledge has instilled in us a reflex to call 911 or to bolt to our nearest hospital to utilize their emergency room. But we must modernize this thought process just as we advance in all areas of life. Each year urgent cares are becoming more and more prevalent and increasingly equipped and prepared to deal with any pathological dilemma. Urgent cares are popping up in our towns and cities nationwide and in most cases, they are the quickest route to medical attention.
It has been reported that the average national wait time at an emergency room is about 2.4 hours. In contrast, urgent cares can see patients within fifteen to forty-five minutes. This expeditious service is both helpful to injured or pain-enduring patients and beneficial to overworked hospitals that could use a break from over-run facilities.
The only trouble with seeking out and utilizing an urgent care is finding a reliable one near you. One helpful step in this process is checking-in to the facility in advance of your arrival there. Virtually checking-in to an urgent care can help to prepare the physicians and nurses who will be treating you. This can also be a notifier to the patients about their wait time and how many other patients are in-line ahead of them currently. Additionally, patients should review provider services to ensure they cover the patient’s needs. Through the Urgently Health Platform, patients can determine what facility is a right fit for them based on all these requirements.
Another important step in the process of locating an urgent care is finding one that accepts your specific insurance. Research should be done beforehand to ensure that the facility that you are seeking treatment at will take your insurance. It is estimated that 1 in 4 Americans will bypass getting medical care at an emergency room because of the high costs that are associated. Although costs at urgent cares are generally lower than those at emergency rooms or hospitals, costs can be kept even lower if you are certain that you can utilize your insurance plan upon being treated. Calling your insurance company if you have the time to do so is also an option to locate their network of urgent care options in your area.
Patients have always liked options. The arrival of reliable urgent cares with trusted and accomplished staff to the marketplace allows citizens to choose where they go for their medical care. This infiltration into the market of emergency medical care has given us many avenues to expedite receiving medical attention. Once we establish our need for emergency care, new platforms like Urgently Health can help us decipher where to go, how long we will be asked to wait, and who will be serving us upon our arrival. These new options in the healthcare industry decrease both wait times and financial burdens and allow for seamless and productive care. Do your research ahead of time and be prepared to face any unforeseen emergency.
