4 Reasons To Visit An Urgent Care Center Instead Of An Emergency Room

As long as you aren't facing a life-threating illness or injury, it's a good idea to think about avoiding the emergency room altogether and utilizing an urgent care center instead. Urgent care centers can handle everything from severe fevers and allergic reactions to broken bones and breathing difficulties. Here are four reasons to consider visiting your community's urgent care centers instead of the local emergency room:

Shorter Wait Times

If you've ever visited the emergency room before, you know just how long it can take to be seen for treatment after checking in. Luckily, you can avoid some of that waiting time by visiting an urgent care center rather than an emergency room. You may not even have time to sit down after checking in before a doctor or nurse is ready to take you to a private room for care.

Affordable Fees

If you'll be paying for your health care services out-of-pocket, avoiding an emergency room in favor of an urgent care center can save you some money when all is said and done. Urgent care costs are comparable to regular doctor visit fees, but they tend to be quite a bit less than emergency room expenses. And even if you have insurance you can save money, because many insurance companies offer lower deductibles and co-pays for urgent care visits.

Convenience During Travel

Many urgent care centers are part of a large network of facilities that share information and technology with one another, so if you get sick or hurt yourself while traveling, you can head to a network facility where the administration department will already have access to the health records your local urgent care center has. And even if you can't find a networked urgent care center where you travel to, the lower cost and short wait times should be enough to keep you away from the emergency room.

Easy Access

With about 9,000 urgent care centers operating within the United States, they can be found in shopping centers and stand-alone buildings throughout any given state. More than likely, there is at least one urgent care center located closer to your home than the community's emergency center is. Parking is usually abundant, and you'll have the opportunity to run some errands after being treated if you want to. Easy access means that you can get the help you need and back to your regular life with fewer time commitments and hassles overall.   

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