How a Urgent Walk In Clinic Can Save You Time and Money

It is likely that you have visited your primary care doctors office for something you felt was a waste of an office visit. You are forced to make an appointment, sometimes during your work or school time. You then must wait, sometimes for a lengthy time to be called into the back for even more waiting. Then, your entire office visit takes just a couple of minutes, where you are charged an entire office visit, similar to one if you really needed the doctor?s consultation. The entire process can be frustrating and fortunately, there is a better option. A walk in clinic provides many of the same services that your regular doctor does, except the wait time is shorter and the costs are often a little cheaper.

A walk in clinic does not require an appointment prior to a visit. This is usually much more convenient for families and those with jobs. They no longer have to miss work or school to visit the doctor. The hours of the walk in clinic is often much longer, providing even more convenience. According to a national survey, more than two thirds of urgent care centers open prior to 9:00 AM during the week, with significant proportions doing so on Saturday (45.7%) and Sunday (31.1%). Also, because of the extended hours, patients are not left waiting for multiple hours to see a medical professional.

Walk in clinics are generally more cost effective. This is great for those visiting for routine or quick procedures, such as a flu shot or a school physical exam. Some urgent care offices even offer advanced urgent care, which means that they are able to handle more serious of problems. An orthopedic doctor may be available at your local walk in clinic. Patients no longer have to pay costly office visits to visit with a doctor for something as simple as a flu shot or a physical exam for school or work. The difference in cost between an urgent care visit and an emergency department visit for the same diagnosis ranges from $228 to $583.

Additionally, patients are even able to receive any needed prescriptions when they visit a walk in clinic. Nearly half of urgent care centers (48.6%) provide prescription pharmaceuticals that are pre packaged for dispensing a full course of treatment in doctor?s offices rather than in pharmacies (point of care dispensing). This can save patients time and money, but not having to visit both the doctor?s office and the pharmacy for their prescription refill.

Urgent care clinics are becoming very popular and are available all over the place. It is likely that in every patients city there is a community health clinic nearby. There may even be multiple ones, leaving them with the option of choosing the one they are most comfortable with and the one with the least amount of wait time.

Visiting your primary care medical professional can be a hassle and an inconvenience if the reason you are visiting is not serious. When you need something as simple as a shot or a physical exam, it may be much easier to visit the local walk in clinic. These clinics save patients with time, money and prescription conveniences. The majorities of urgent care centers has qualified staff and are able to see patients without an appointment. This can be a great benefit for those with full time jobs, school schedules or with families to take care of.