What if you could be seen by a doctor almost immediately at a walk in clinic? When you visit urgent care clinics you are likely to be seen in less than 20 minutes, compared to hours you could wait at the emergency room. Since they only handle minor emergencies, their ability to get you in and out means you do not have to wait for your doctors office to open when you get sick after hours. If you are feeling ill, you can find urgent care facilities to help you get better quickly.

It is estimated that approximately 33% of all U.S. emergency room visits were unnecessary and treatment could have been obtained quickly and at significant savings in an after hours clinic. Generally, urgent care facilities have onsite diagnostic equipment, whether you need general lab work, xrays or related testing that will save you a trip elsewhere.

Another one of the other advantages of using an urgent care facility is the scheduling flexibility for treatment of various minor health issues, such as required vaccinations and physicals. For example, instead of waiting for your primary care physician to provide your annual flu shot, you can quickly visit the doctors at the urgent care facility that are able to provide your shot almost immediately. When it comes time for your childs annual school required checkups or yearly sports physicals, those too can be obtained relatively quickly at a medical walk in clinic.

Depending on your location, there are generally sufficient facilities for urgent care treatment nearby, but the industry is seeing a considerable amount of ongoing expansion. The Urgent Care Association of America estimates that about 9,000 additional urgent care facilities are in position to open or expand over the near term. That means that your ability to get after hours care or minor emergency treatment will only get better as the facilities grow in number and accessibility. Read more articles like this.