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eNEWSLETTERS

The Benefits of Urgent Care

The Benefits of Urgent Care To some urgent care is still a new term with unknown meaning. Family Medical Walk-In Clinic is here to provide you with more detailed information on what urgent care actually means and how you can benefit from using an urgent care facility.

What is urgent care?

According to NationalMedNetwork.com urgent care is defined as, “a medical facility where ambulatory patients can be treated on a walk-in basis, without an appointment, and receive immediate non-emergent care.”

Urgent care facilities were created in hopes to reserve the emergency room setting for those with life-threatening illnesses and/or injuries.

The Benefits:

Quicker access to care for non-life threatening illnesses and/or injuries
Lower co-payments than a hospital emergency room
No appointment necessary
Extended hours
Open most holidays and weekends
Usually located in more residential areas

When to use an urgent care facility:

As an alternative to the emergency room for non-emergent conditions
If you do not have a primary care doctor
If your primary care doctor is not available or can’t see you when you need immediate care
If you prefer the convenience of an urgent care facility

Services offered within our Urgent Care facility:

Evaluation and management of non-emergent illness and injury and work related services
X-rays
Labs
Sutures/Lacerations
IV’s

For a more extensive list of our services, please refer to our website: http://www.fmwic.com

So, how do you know if your symptoms are life threatening enough for the Emergency room?

According to the American College of Emergency Physicians, warning signs of a medical emergency are:

Fainting or unconsciousness
Breathing difficulty
Chest pains that you may think is a heart attack
Sudden accident with serious injuries

For an extended list, visit: http://www.healthcarepartners.com/patients/urgent-care-centers.asp

Did you know?

According to Humana.com of nearly 100 million people who use the E.R. yearly, as many as 60 to 80 percent are for non-emergencies.
There are currently over 8,500 urgent care practices in the United States.
The number of urgent care facilities is increasing by about 300 practices per year.
Nearly 54% or urgent care facilities are owned by physicians themselves.

Urgent care facilities have been proven to be the better choice medically and financially when it comes to non-life threatening illnesses and injuries. Choosing the right level of care is up to you as the patient. You now know there are other options besides the ER when you need access to quick, affordable medical care.

Sources:
http://www.urgentcareconsultant.com/urgentcare.php
http://www.healthcarepartners.com/patients/urgent-care-centers.asp
http://www.ucaoa.org/resources_stats.php
http://www.humana.com/drsam/articles/smart_consumer/urgent_care.asp

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