Finding the right medical provider can be a time-consuming process that includes extensive trial and error, and scheduling an appointment with some doctors is nearly impossible. The next time you or a loved one needs to see a doctor in a hurry, consider urgent care. The Pearland Medical Clinic facility specializes in serving patients of all ages and don’t require an advance appointment.
Wide Range of Health Services
An urgent care practice does not provide all of the same services as a large hospital, but urgent care centers do provide many of the most commonly needed medical treatments. Your local urgent care center, Pearland Medical Clinic, has the ability to diagnose common illnesses including ear, nose and throat infections, strep, pneumonia and influenza. The facility is equipped to clean and suture wounds and X-ray broken bones. Urgent care centers also draw blood for laboratory testing, collect samples for alcohol and drug testing, perform sports and occupational physicals and prescribe all types of medication. Treatment for seasonal allergies and acute allergic reactions can also be found at an urgent care facility, as well as intravenous fluids to remedy dehydration.
Convenience
A patient can wait months for an appointment with a private practice physician. For some medical appointments, such as annual physicals and other preventive care, that length of wait is acceptable. However, some illnesses and injuries require immediate attention. Most physicians do not offer extended hours, and a patient must often miss work or school to visit the doctor during the day. A hospital emergency room takes walk-in patients at any time, but the wait to see a doctor can be hours long, and the advanced services provided by an emergency room are often unnecessary for a patient with a minor condition. Urgent care facilities came about as a way to bridge the gap between preventive care and treatment of dire, life-threatening emergencies. Urgent care medical centers see patients without an appointment, but the wait is far shorter than most emergency rooms. Most urgent care facilities are open in the evening and on weekends to accommodate work and school schedules. Because urgent care facilities offer streamlined, targeted healthcare services, they are easier to operate than a hospital emergency room, and are thus more numerous and more conveniently located.
High-Quality Care
Individuals who have never visited an urgent care center before may have concerns about the qualifications of the medical professionals that will serve them and the level of care they will provide. Urgent care facilities hire highly qualified medical specialists, and maintain full staffing with physicians, nurses, nursing assistants, lab technicians, X-ray technicians and phlebotomists during all operating hours. This ensures that no matter when a patient arrives, he or she will receive excellent care.
Urgent care providers play an important role in modern medicine, and the services of urgent care facilities benefit all types of people. Parents appreciate the flexible hours because children often get sick after the pediatrician’s office closes or on a holiday. People with a demanding work schedule are able to visit an urgent care center in the evening or on the weekend. Uninsured patients also find that the services found at an urgent care facility are generally cheaper than those provided by an emergency room. Prime Urgent Care serves residents of Pearland and surrounding areas. We are network-approved providers for most types of private health coverage and governmental insurance programs. The next time you need fast care for an illness or injury, Prime Urgent Care is standing by to serve you.