Parenting is not always easy. In fact, parents find themselves making so many decisions in the course of a single hour, some of them can be caught of guard when it comes to a health problem. In the heat of the moment, in fact, some parents make the expensive mistake of taking their children to a hospital emergency room. In addition to the cost, these ER visits can also be long. When they are the most rested and calm, however, a growing number of parents realize that a walk in health clinic is often the most affordable, convenient, and reliable source of health care.
Although there are times when a hospital emergency room is necessary, there are many reasons to go to Urgent Care, a health platform that is both convenient and affordable. From flu shots to x-rays, there are many reasons that people find themselves in need of non emergency health care. Finding a location that is close to home can help you find the care that you need without having to wait for hours in a hospital emergency room. Sore throats, stomach pain, and laboratory services are all reasons to go to urgent care platforms.
Consider some of these other facts and figures about the effective treatments that are administered in urgent care centers across the country:
- 70% of ER visits involving patients with consumer-sponsored insurance coverage are for preventable or non-emergency conditions.
- Currently, there are 7,357 urgent care centers in the U.S., according to Urgent Care Association of America’s 2016 Benchmarking Report. This marks an increase from 2015’s count of 6,707.
- 92% of urgent care centers maintained wait times of 30 minutes or less in the year 2015, according to the Urgent Care Association of America’s 2016 Benchmarking Report.
- 27% of U.S. patients reported in 2016 that they had visited an urgent care center in the last 24 months.
- Urgent care centers reported seeing an average of nearly 12,000 patients in the 2015 fiscal year. That amounts to an average of three patient care visits an hour, or 32 visits every day.
- Upper respiratory infection, acute sinusitis, acute pharyngitis, cough, and acute bronchitis were the the most common illnesses diagnosed at urgent care centers in 2015, according to Urgent Care Association of America’s 2016 Benchmarking Report.
When you need emergency healthcare services then a hospital ER is the right place to visit. When all you need is a solution to a non emergency situation, however, there are many reasons to go to urgent care clinics.
