Guide to After Hours Urgent Care
If you’re sick or hurt after normal appointment hours then you should visit an urgent care. Learn how to prepare for and what to expect from your visit.
You might not enjoy going to the doctor, but there are times when you might need medical help. Did you know that 83.4% of adults visited a doctor at least once during 2020? Many went even more times.
Visiting a doctor is necessary when you’re sick or injured, but you might not be able to get in to see your regular doctor. So what should you do if you need medical care when your doctor can’t see you?
If it’s not a life-threatening situation, you might consider going to urgent care.
If you’ve never visited an urgent care center for medical help, you might not understand what it is. However, if you’d like to learn what it is and what to expect, you can continue reading this article to discover all the vital details.
Choose an ER for Life-Threatening Care
The first thing to understand is urgent care is not the same as an emergency room (ER).
An ER is a place where people go for several reasons. First, people go there when they’re facing life-threatening health problems. For example, if you have a heart attack, you need an ER for treatment.
Secondly, people visit ERs when they become really sick or encounter injuries. You can also seek medical care from an urgent care facility for these issues.
However, you shouldn’t visit an urgent care center if you need immediate care for a health problem. Urgent medical care centers can’t properly assist with medical emergencies that could be life-threatening.
Instead, urgent care centers offer basic medical services like your primary physician’s office.
You Must Fill Out Paperwork
To see a doctor at an urgent care center, you’ll have to complete paperwork. The paperwork tells the staff who you are, your current health state, and the prescriptions you take.
The paperwork also tells the urgent care facility information about your health insurance and other vital details. If you visit MedNow in Georgia, you can access the patient forms online and complete them before going.
If you prefer, you can fill them out when you arrive at the facility. However, you must complete all the forms, including signing a consent document for treatment. They can’t treat you without this form.
You Can Choose Walk-In Visits or Schedule an Appointment
The next thing to understand about urgent care is that most facilities offer two types of visits.
First, you can schedule a visit with the clinic. For example, if your child needs a sports physical, you might have a few weeks to get it. Therefore, you could contact the urgent care and ask for an appointment.
Some clinics offer appointments. However, many don’t. Most offer walk-in visits only, and the doctors generally see the patients on a first-come, first-serve basis.
However, if someone comes in with an injury that needs immediate care, they might assist that person first, even if others are before them in line.
The nice part about urgent care is they offer after-hours medical care. As a result, you can see a doctor without visiting the ER during the hours when your primary physician’s office isn’t open.
They Treat Many Conditions
So, what types of health problems do urgent care clinics treat? Most urgent care facilities can treat most basic health issues. Here are some of the common reasons people seek urgent care services:
Colds and Respiratory Issues
If you come down with a cold or respiratory issue, you might want to see a doctor to determine if you need medication. You can visit an urgent care center for this reason.
Burns and Cuts
Urgent care centers also treat cuts, rashes, and burns. For example, if you burn yourself, you should seek burn treatment immediately. Instead of going to the ER, you can choose urgent care.
X-Rays for Broken Bones
You can also get x-rays at an urgent care facility. For example, if you fell and injured your ankle, you might wonder if it’s broken. You can find out through x-rays.
They Accept Most Insurance Plans
It’s also important to know that an urgent care center accepts most insurance plans. You can learn more about insurance plans they accept by clicking here.
You can also determine the payment options if you’re a self-pay patient.
If you have insurance, your plan determines how much you must pay out-of-pocket for the services you need. For example, if you have a plan that only requires a co-pay, your insurance card might state the cost of the visit.
Urgent Care Offers Benefits
Now that you understand how urgent care works, you might wonder about the primary benefits it offers. Here are a few of the top benefits:
Convenience
First, going to urgent care is convenient. If you need medical care when your doctor isn’t available, you can get the care you need through urgent care.
Additionally, urgent care offers hours of service beyond the hours of most doctor offices.
Time
Secondly, you can save time by seeking help from an urgent care facility. These clinics generally don’t have long wait times, which means you’ll spend less time seeking the care you need.
Wide Range of Services
Next, they offer a wide range of services. You can get almost any medical service you need by visiting urgent care.
Cost-Effective
Finally, you’ll spend less money seeking medical help from urgent care versus an emergency room. If you care about saving money, this is a great way to do it.
Seek Urgent Care for Illnesses or Injuries
You can visit an urgent care center when you need instant medical help for a sickness or injury. Additionally, you can visit an urgent care center for scheduled medical services, such as physicals.
If you need medical care, contact MedNow Urgent Care to learn more. We offer eight convenient locations in Georgia and can provide the care you need.
