When you or a family member is experiencing a medical problem, you have to think fast: should you go to the emergency room, call your doctor to schedule an appointment, or head to a local urgent medical care facility? More often than not, the answer is the latter: local urgent care clinics offer options to individuals and families that can make handling a medical emergency much simpler.

Advanced urgent care clinics are becoming more and more popular in the United States: an estimated three million patients visit urgent care facilities in the U.S. every week. One of the reasons for this is because urgent care services are typically faster and cheaper than a visit to the emergency room: thanks to 24 hr urgent care services, you are guaranteed service where a doctor’s office will likely be closed and an emergency room will likely be tending to other patients. Likewise, the average urgent care facility is affordable especially for those without health insurance, who would otherwise have to pay numerous fees at a doctor’s office or emergency room.

Medical urgent care is also increasing in popularity because it offers numerous basic health services without the hassle of having to schedule an appointment. Due to increasing patient caseloads at the average physician’s office, waiting for an opening can often take weeks and can also mean a shorter appointment than you might need. Because medical urgent care offices like Memorial Urgent Care offer basic services like ear infection treatments, strep throat testing, and sinus infection treatment, you and your loved ones can get back to feeling healthy sooner.

Finding a local urgent care facility is as easy as a simple online search, especially now that the service is becoming more and more popular; to increase the likelihood of finding workable results, however, try researching specific facility names, like Memorial Urgent Care, a common urgent care chain. Also, make sure to check the urgent care hours: while many facilities are open 24 hours, it is better to check before you leave. Find more.