Did you know that there are 6800 urgent care centers in the United States alone? Although the urgent care movement has been in an existence since the 1970s, it has more recently growing exponentially on a global scale. Aside from the obvious … immediate treatment at an affordable price … an urgent care center can offer a variety of benefits, services, and advantages in comparison to the emergency room.

Urgent Care Cost Is Far Superior to Emergency Room Cost

Urgent care cost is one of the prime reasons why you should choose an urgent care clinic over the emergency room or a doctor’s office. The average urgent care cost for a single appointment is $150, while the emergency room price for the same service is an average of $1,500. In fact, the Rand Corporation found in 2010 that 1 in 5 emergency room visits could have been treated at urgent care centers. This would save $4.4 billion annually in healthcare costs. So what can you have done at an immediate care center?

An Urgent Care Center Can Treat Common Ailments

Each year, the average child will catch 6 to 10 colds, while Americans in total catch 1 billion colds. In turn, 5% to 20% of Americans catch the flu every year. Sicknesses like the flu and cold are treatable at home, but at … home care tends to prolong the length of the disease or infection. This causes people to miss work or school, which is ultimately unnecessary as urgent care centers can offer the necessary treatments and prescriptions.

You Can Take Your Broken Bones To An Urgent Care Center

With around 6.8 bones being broken in the U.S. each year, it’s a common problem that we usually take to the emergency room. In fact, while some breaks are serious enough to be taken to a hospital, many can be treated at an urgent care center. This lessens the trauma of the ordeal, as you don’t have to be wait potentially hours to be seen by a doctor.

Urgent Care Centers Offer Anonymous STD Testing

STD testing is a fact of life for many people, and should not be avoided lest they wish to spread diseases and infections further. Urgent care clinics offer anonymous and cheap STD testing, with excellent care and no judgment. Patients can walk in and have their tests conducted in a professional setting, with quick results provided.

There’s no reason to ignore the options afforded by an urgent care center. You can have your issues taken care of in a clean, caring environment with as short a wait as possible. The faster you’re treated, the faster you’re on the road to recovery.