Top Five Facts you Need to Know about Urgent Care

Did you know that the average child catches between six and 10 colds a year? Whether you are one of the millions of underinsured, you have a minor emergency, or the office of your general practitioner does not have the most convenient hours, here are few few reasons that you should visit an urgent care center, or walk in doctor, next time you need medical assistance.

1. Urgent care 24 hours centers are generally faster and cheaper then making a visit to an emergency room. A 2010 study by the Rand Corporation found that nearly one in five visits to hospital ERs could be treated at urgent care centers and could have saved those in the United States as much as four and a half billion dollars each year.

2. An estimated three million patients visit a urgent care center each week in the United States largely as a result of the fact that they are far cheaper than an emergency room and are open when most doctors offices are not. Your average 24 hr urgent care center also offers an alternative for those who do not have any medical insurance and can not afford to visit a general practitioner.

3. Almost two thirds of local urgent care centers, which are sometimes referred to as walk in doctor centers, employ a mix of physicians, nurse practitioners, physician assistants. As many as 65 percent of urgent care 24 hours centers have at least one physician that is available on site at all times.

4. One of the drivers for the growth of the urgent care industry is the increasing caseload of primary care physicians, which leads to difficulty scheduling appointments, longer wait times and decreased time spent with each patient.

5. The typical emergency department visit will generally cost you an average of 1,500 dollars for even the least serious visit. On the other hand, treatment at an urgent care costs are generally under 150 dollars. Urgent care hours and wait time are also generally more convenient. Helpful research also found here.