3 Reasons To Visit An Urgent Care Clinic Instead Of The Emergency Room

When you or a family member are seriously ill or injured, medical treatment is essential. But heading to the emergency room of your local hospital is not always a good idea if you are not suffering from life threatening ailments. The need for medical care is not confined to the normal hours of doctors offices, and it is not uncommon to find that your doctor may not be able to see you for a couple of days. When your condition isn't life threatening, but you are not able to get in to see your own doctor, urgent care centers are an excellent choice for medical care. There are a number of reasons to visit an urgent care clinic instead of the emergency room, such as:

Urgent Care Clinics are Less Expensive

Urgent care centers are staffed by physicians and medical professionals who are experienced in diagnosing and treating a wide variety of ailments. Common issues, such as influenza, strep throat, ear infections, pink eye, upper respiratory infections, bronchitis, minor cuts and burns, sports injuries, muscle sprains/strains, and urinary tract infections can typically be diagnosed and treated by the medical professionals at an urgent care clinic. The expenses associated with treatment at an urgent care center is usually substantially lower than what it would cost to visit the emergency room- even with health insurance deductibles- and co-pays can add up, so if you want comprehensive medical care at a more affordable cost, visit an urgent care clinic instead of the emergency room.

Spend Less Time Waiting

Emergency rooms are open around the clock, and they see many patients each day. If you go to the emergency room with a non-life threatening condition, there is a good chance that you will spend hours waiting to see a doctor. When you are hurt or don't feel well, the last thing you want to do is spend your time sitting in the waiting room at a hospital- urgent care centers typically operate on a walk-in basis, but their wait times are usually much shorter than the wait times at the ER.

Limit Exposure to Germs

Emergency rooms are busy, and a lot of sick people go in and out each day. Urgent care centers like West Ocean City Injury & Illness Center also care for ill patients, but the scale is much smaller, so you are less likely to be exposed to germs when you are already sick and your immune system is compromised. Hospitals work hard to keep things clean and sanitized, but when you have a building with hundreds of patients who may be ill, it is not the place you want to be when you're fighting illness yourself.