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Walk-in clinics offer important medical care for those in need. TheyтАЩre increasingly popular-and for good reason. They provide a host of advantages in one central place. Below is a list of five reasons why this sort of facility beats out an emergency room alternative.
The Cost Is Much Less
Although youтАЩll get the same great service at a walk-in clinic as you would in an emergency room, youтАЩll pay much less. This is excellent for Centurian┬аindividuals who can not afford health insurance, as well as for families with programs that contain high deductibles. There are lots of reasons why these facilities cost less than hospital emergency rooms; for instance, since hospitals are so much bigger itтАЩs more expensive to maintain them. That drives the cost of support up for anyone who has to be seen or admitted because of an illness or injury.
The Wait Times Are Shorter
At many hospitals, the staff often take a few hours to see, diagnose, and treat their patients. This often eats up a big chunk of a patientтАЩs day. A walk-in clinic works much the same way as a doctorтАЩs office does: patients are examined by a doctor in a timely way. Most visits donтАЩt take longer than an hour from the moment someone signs into the time he or she walks out the front door.
X-Rays and Lab Services Are Available
Urgent care centers offer far more than just checking for ear infections or fevers. Many are also equipped with laboratory facilities for drawing blood or x-ray machines to check for broken bones. These are services which a family physician canтАЩt provide without referring the patient to another facility. This additional convenience means that a parent can quickly have a childтАЩs broken wrist diagnosed without first going to the pediatricianтАЩs office, only to be sent to the diagnostics centre or ER, which could take up an entire afternoon.
It Leaves Emergencies For the Emergency Room
Using the walk in clinic for broken bones, throat infections, and cuts that need stitches means less crowding in the emergency area. This leaves only the true emergencies for the hospital staff to tend to. This includes life-and-death situations, immediate surgeries, and blood transfusions. In other words, deciding on an urgent care centre can help save the life of someone who needs immediate assistance by maintaining the hospital from becoming overcrowded.
Records Can be Forwarded
All urgent care clinics are ready to work with a patientтАЩs physician. They will forward all medical documents from the trip to any physicianтАЩs office when the visit is finished, if this service is requested by the patient. Hospitals typically work the other way round, requiring that the family physician calls their recordтАЩs office and requests a copy of the patientтАЩs information. This takes a bit more time, which can mean a delay in any required follow-up treatment.
Both facilities provide board-certified doctors that care about their clientтАЩs well-being. Though walk-in clinics are preferable for ordinary injuries, always pick an ER when a life is in danger.
