When your daughter moved 12 hours away for college you were not totally prepared for all that would involve. From the Sunday afternoon calls about a possible strep throat to the call from gymnastics practice to announce that she hurt her shoulder, the 12 hour distance is sometimes a little difficult to handle. When you are at home where there are emergency care services available all day in a number of locations, it is a challenge to understand a city where the only option after 8 on a weeknight is the hospital emergency room. More than once you have fielded anxious phone calls from your daughter.
You have listened to the exhaustion in her voice as she waits to be seen at a crowded hospital emergency room. You have also listened to your daughter talk about the one health clinic where the nurses already know her from a couple of different visits during her first three years of college.

Finding the Best Way to Get the Medical Care That You Need Includes a Variety of Options

From female health care to emergency visits after a sports injury, today’s patients have a variety of options depending on where they live. In large cities, for instance, where there is a decent amount of competition for health care options, patients often have the choice of visiting one of several after hour health clinics. In smaller towns, especially if there are not many profitable hospitals, there is little option for any after hours or weekend health care. Knowing what you options are before you find yourself in need of health care is always a good idea.

Fortunately, in some parts of the country there are big box pharmacy stores that are transferring some of their retail space into 24 hour health care offices. In a location where these after hour and weekend options are not already available, these retail locations can be a real advantage.

Consider some of these facts and figures about the walk in clinic platform and the benefits that it can offer:

• Urgent care centers can help you find the answers that you need to a number of situations. From strep throat tests to flu shots, a walk in clinic is often the best option. Long waits at a family physician’s office can take more time than most people have.
• 14% of Americans has an orthopedic impairment that sometimes needs medical attention.
• Finding the right health care setting can help you make sure that you are in the right place whenever you need to see a medical professional.
• Bone fractures lead to as many as 3.5 million hospital emergency room visits every year.
• As many as 4.7 million Americans are living with artificial knees, according to a 2014 study by the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons.

Emergency care services are necessary many times in life, but knowing where to find that care is sometimes a challenge. When patients get in the habit of looking for emergency care services in a hospital setting, the wait can be long and the price can be high. Finding an affordable way to get the care that you need is important today now more than ever. Although an acute care facility is sometimes necessary, it is important to make sure that you evaluate where you get the care that you need in non emergency situations.