An urgent care in Pearland is a viable alternative to an emergency room. While some illnesses and injuries warrant the kind of help only an ER can provide, many immediate health concerns can be remedied at urgent care facilities. The following includes ways urgent care works to your advantage
The Cost is Lower
If you are paying yourself, an urgent care center will be much easier on your checkbook than the emergency room. If you are paying through your insurance, your co-pay and deductible will likely be lower as well. According to the Fair Health Consumer Organization (FAIR Health), the reason for this is because emergency rooms are filled with equipment (such as CT scanners and MRI machines) that is expensive to operate. Urgent care in Pearland will usually have less expensive equipment, such as X-ray machines.
Finally, typical ER visits result in two bills – one from the hospital and one from the doctor who treated you. With urgent care facilities, you are usually only billed once.
You won’t be at Your Insurance Company’s Mercy
Even with medical insurance, there is no guarantee that your ER visit will be paid for. This is because insurance companies are allowed to use their own discretion to decide what actually constitutes an emergency. Most insurance plans must adhere to the “Prudent Layperson Standard” under PPACA, which defines a medical emergency as “a condition with acute symptoms of sufficient severity (including severe pain) that a person who possesses an average knowledge of health and medicine could reasonably expect the absence of immediate medical attention to result in—(i) placing the health of the individual (or an unborn child) in serious jeopardy, (ii) serious impairment of bodily functions, or (iii) serious dysfunction of any bodily organ or part.”
They Offer a Variety of Services
Urgent care clinics offer a large variety of services to you and your family. These include treatment of cold and flu symptoms, vomiting and fever, ear infections, animal bites, minor strains/sprains and bone fractures, minor injuries, and sports physicals. However, there are times when an urgent care clinic won’t suffice. According to the Wake Forest Baptist Health Hospital, you should go to the nearest emergency room for conditions like chest pain, severe abdominal pain, serious trauma, broken bones, problems breathing, loss of consciousness, severe burns, seizures, poisonings, severe headaches, continual vomiting, deep lacerations, and pregnancy-related complications.
They are Prepared
Urgent care clinics are filled with doctors who are well trained in spotting a true emergency. If they believe your situation is serious, they will send you to an emergency room. A lot of urgent care clinics are even attached to hospitals, making it an easier transition.
You Won’t Wait as Long
Generally speaking, urgent care clinics have much shorter waits than emergency rooms. This saves you time while still being convenient; you don’t need an appointment and can walk right in. An urgent care facility is also much more likely to see you on a first come, first served basis rather than a hierarchy based on injury or illness severity.
Urgent care clinics can save you time, save you frustration, and save you money, all while still offering you the level of care you deserve. They are perfect places to go for situations that are immediate, but don’t quite constitute an emergency.
