Convenient Health Care Options Can Help Your Family Feel Better Fast
This has been a rough week. With one daughter needing an x-ray and another daughter needing a CAT scan, your family has been busy. After rolling her ankle during one of your last cross country practices, your daughter who is a senior in high school started the week by visiting a neighbor who is a pediatrician. After a quick exam, however, the neighbor suggested that she get an x-ray. Fortunately, the visit to the 24 hour urgent care location for the x-ray revealed that there was no fracture. No break.
Your older daughter, however, was not quite as fortunate. As a senior in college trying to get back her skills after a shoulder surgery last Christmas, she over rotated a one and a half twist on the tumble track at gymnastics practice. The next few days showed early signs of a concussion so your daughter made her own visit to a 24 hour urgent care location which recommended that she get a CAT scan. They called the CAT scan order in to the local emergency room.
Your two daughters, in the course of just a few days, have individually been to he home of a doctor who is a friend, a local 24 hour urgent care location, and a hospital emergency room, basically the whole spectrum of the nation’s health care offerings.
Where Does Your Family Go When You Need Health Care?
If you are the parent of athletes, you know that every day is another risk. Getting the care that you need sooner rather than later is always important, but knowing where to get that care can be a challenge. The difference in pricing between a walk in health clinic, a family pediatrician, and a hospital emergency room is significant, so it is always important to get the best care available at the most economical price. Like many things in life, the most expensive option is not always the best option. In fact, for many illnesses and injuries, you can get the diagnosis that you need at a local walk in clinic. With affordable treatments and services, the best urgent care settings are convenient and efficient solutions.
Emergency centers play an important role in the healthcare of the nation, but they can also serve as unnecessary expenses if you got to an ER for a simple healthcare visit. There are 7,357 urgent care centers in the U.S., an increase from 2015’s count of 6,707, according to Urgent Care Association of America’s 2016 Benchmarking Report. Knowing that these centers offer affordable care should be reason enough to know that they serve as a viable option for many patients in need of care. The fact that only 3% of patients who come to an urgent care center need to be diverted to an emergency department, according to Becker’s Hospital Review, is an indicator that most people understand the role that these health care clinics play in the wellness industry.