In a time when the nation continues to wait to see what the future of the Affordable Care Act will be, it should come as no surprise that a growing number of Americans are concerned whether or not they will be able to find affordable and convenient advanced urgent care. Having to wait months for an appointment to get a diagnostic test can be frustrating and for many Americans finding an insurance plan that allows them to quickly and successful navigate the approval process is essential. And while there was a time when you may have had to wait to get into a hospital or specialized diagnostic lab for the tests that you need, an increasing number of clinics offer the advanced urgent care items that many need.
A Health Care Visit Does Not Have to Take A Lot of Time and Money
Although there certainly are times when it is necessary to go to a hospital emergency room, the majority of the health concerns that people have can be handled in a setting that is less expensive and time consuming. When, for instance, you wonder if an ankle injury is a sprain of a break, you can likely find the diagnostic services that you need at an advanced urgent care setting. Without having to wait hours to get the care that you need in a hospital emergency room that uses triage to care for patients who are the most critical, an urgent care setting often gets to see people on a first come, first served basis.
National statistics indicate that nearly 60% of all urgent care centers in the country have a wait time of less than 15 minutes to see a physician or mid-level provider. This is partly a result of the fact that 65% of these clinics have a physician on-site at all times. Another reason that the wait time is so short is the fact that so many of these clinics are open for a wide range of hours. In fact, more than 66% of urgent care centers in America are open prior to 9:00 am during the week. Additionally, as many as 45.7% are also open on Saturday, 31.1% are open on Sunday. These expanded hours mean that the patients who do visit these clinics are distributed across a wider range of hours.
Getting the timely and affordable health care that you need can help you have a more productive and less stressful week. Instead of waiting days for an appointment with a family physician or pediatrician, and instead of paying the high prices of a hospital emergency room, more and more Americans get the advanced urgent care that they need at a walk in health clinic.