Urgent care facilities are great medical resources to use when you have minor injuries and illnesses. They are designed to get you in and out. In order to take full advantage of your next urgent care visit, keep these tips in mind.
Find the Right Center
Your first priority is to find the right urgent care facility in your city. Ideally, you want to choose one that is closest to your house or apartment. You never know when medical emergencies will arise, and choosing a nearby location ensures you get treatment as quickly as possible.
Practice driving to this care center as well. This gives you time to see which routes are the most efficient, and makes driving to the right location second-nature when something serious does happen. If you've just moved to a new area, consider storing the care center's address in your phone's GPS feature. You then won't have to worry about getting lost.
Research Your Health Insurance Policy
Understanding health insurance can be confusing and stressful, but it's important to know as much as you can about your policy. Know what your policy does and doesn't cover, so that you don't panic should you get hit with a costly medical bill.
Note that not all urgent care centers will take your insurance. Call in advance to see what policies are accepted. Also, see if co-payments are required before you can see the doctor. You wouldn't want to sustain an injury or illness and not receive treatment because you don't have any money on hand.
Determine How Severe Your Injury Is
Urgent care centers are strictly reserved for non-threatening injuries and illnesses. These include falls, skin rashes, sore throats, urinary tract infections, vomiting, and coughs. Assess the severity of your injuries so you can determine if urgent care is the right place you need to be.
More extensive injuries, such as chest pain and convulsions, require treatment from an emergency room. These facilities are better suited to handle these more complex problems. They also provide more services, such as emergency care, after-hours treatment, and diagnostic tests. The staff on hand is also specialized and more capable of coming up with an accurate diagnosis.
When faced with an injury or illness, there are plenty of urgent care centers you can seek treatment from. Understand what types of services they provide and plan in advance before using them. Then when you show up, you'll receive the correct treatment in a timely manner.
Share17 January 2018
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