When you’re dealing with a health issue outside of your regular doctor’s hours, the go-to option in the U.S. has typically been the emergency room (ER). However, hospitals are increasingly recommending that people consider using urgent care centers for many medical conditions instead. Although urgent care centers have been around for a while, their popularity is surging by about 300 new facilities each year. This growth is partly due to necessity but also because these centers offer several advantages to patients.
**Hospitals Urging Patients to Use Urgent Care Centers**
Emergency rooms don’t always have enough staff to operate at full capacity, leading to long wait times for non-emergency cases. ERs prioritize patients based on the severity of their conditions, so those with less critical issues can wait hours to be seen. To manage this better, hospitals across the country are asking patients to reconsider using the ER for non-life-threatening conditions. They want to reserve emergency room resources for true emergencies.
**Benefits of Urgent Care Centers**
Urgent care centers first started appearing in the 1970s, and now there are over 17,000 across the United States. These centers are designed to provide immediate medical attention for non-life-threatening issues like sprains, minor wounds, and lingering cold symptoms. Most urgent care centers are equipped to handle many conditions that a primary care doctor would treat and usually have a full-time medical staff that includes at least one doctor.
Many people who try urgent care centers for the first time end up becoming regular users. Most insurance plans cover urgent care visits with a copayment that’s much lower than an emergency room visit. Here are some key benefits:
– You can avoid long ER lines.
– Urgent care centers are generally open longer hours or even 24/7.
– No appointments are necessary.
– Care is provided by licensed professionals.
– They are convenient, especially when you’re away from home.
Traditionally, many people have used emergency rooms as their go-to 24-hour medical facility, but this leads to long waits and strains the system. Urgent care centers are becoming more popular for non-emergency conditions, offering a valuable and more efficient alternative to the ER.