Medical Care Options for Your Child

We have all been there. You are going about your workday when you get a call from your child?s school. They are not feeling well or suffered an injury in the classroom. They are requesting that you pick them up and take them in for medical care. But, where do you go? You never considered how to handle an emergency or urgent concern. You will never be able to schedule an appointment with your primary physician. What are your options?

Take them home and wait

You cannot truly know what your child?s condition is until you pick them up. You could always take them home and wait and see how their symptoms progress. But, if they do not feel any better, your options dwindle the later that it gets. If you wait too long, you won?t even be able to call your physician?s office for a consultation. You could also be forced to schedule an appointment the next day, forcing you to take more time off work. If you make the decision to go to an emergency care center in the middle of the night, you could end up waiting hours only to be told to make an appointment with your primary physician.

Head to your primary physician

It is possible that your primary physician accepts walk in or last minute appointments. However, this is usually at the inconvenience of you. You could be forced to wait for many hours in the waiting room. You could also be forced to see a physician in the office that is not your regular one, due to scheduling problems. Depending on the medical or injury concern, your physician might refer you to a different medical provider, thus making your visit pointless. Additionally, you could be charged a premium price for the last minute medical visit.

Head right to the local hospital

Heading to the local emergency room is probably the most common reaction to a medical injury or emergency. Unfortunately, this is not always the best decision. According to a private study conducted by Milliman, approximately 44 to 65% of all ER episodes could have been treated in urgent care clinic settings. Patients filling up the local hospitals for minor injuries and illnesses cause long wait times and prevent those with real medical emergencies from being seen in a timely manner. Additionally, even with health insurance, patients will pay a significantly higher cost for emergency medical care. Instead of searching for the closest hospital to me, try searching for urgent care services near me.

Visit an urgent care services near me

You probably found your primary physician on the internet. You have probably located the closest hospital through the internet. You can also find urgent care services near me. Urgent care services are the perfect mix between the convenient medical care of your primary physician and the emergency medical care at the local hospital. Patients can expect advanced medical care, at a discounted wait time and fraction of the cost. In fact, roughly 60% of all urgent care centers have a wait time of fewer than 15 minutes to see a physician or mid level provider, and 65% have a physician on site at all times. Don?t wait for that call from the school, instead do a quick search for urgent care services near me and you will be prepared for the next medical concern.

Children run fevers. They also suffer injuries, especially when participating in sports and outdoor activities. You can prevent a lot of fear and confusion surrounding where to get medical care by knowing your medical options ahead of time. When you or your child needs medical consultation, you can choose from your primary physician, the local emergency center, or an urgent care center. The urgent care center is the best option when you need immediate medical care, but the medical concern does not warrant a visit to the emergency room.