It can be difficult to be away from home. If you are a college freshman with the busy schedule of biology, chemistry, calculus, and an 18 hour a week practice schedule for the gymnastics team, it can be especially difficult. Add in an unexpected cold that turns into a sore throat that makes it difficult to even talk, and the situation can be almost scary.
Now have that freshman wake up the Sunday morning before her first college gymnastics meet with swollen glands on her neck, making it to difficult to even swallow. This is when panic can set in if you are far from home. So much panic, in fact, that the freshman calls home wondering what to do. Because they are 12 hours away, the parents have only one suggestion. Hang up the phone and get to an after hours urgent care clinic and cross your fingers that you find a good group of doctors who can help.
Luckily, the doctors were able to help. The college athlete was diagnosed with strep throat, given a shot of steroids, and a prescription for antibiotics. The best news is that she was ready to compete for her team five days later.
How close do you live to an after hours health care clinic? Knowing where to receive medical care when you are far from home, or when your health emergency happens on a weekend or the middle of the night, is important. Visits to hospital emergency rooms can be both expensive and time consuming. Having a reliable, fast option for strep throats, sprained ankles, unexplained back pain can, and other health issues can help you get on the road to recovery both quickly and affordably.
Nearly 85% of neighborhood quick care clinics are often open seven days a week, and are always staffed by a team of doctors, nurses and physician’s assistants. According to the Urgent Care Association of America, in fact, an estimated 3 million patients visit these types of clinics every week. They are staffed by a total of 20,000 physicians who practice Urgent Care Medicine today.
In addition to providing convenient hours and knowledgeable staff, quick clinics often provide lower cost services and are still able to file all of the appropriate insurance papers. In the case of the college student 12 hours from home, for instance, she did not have to pay anything for her visit. She simply provided the admittance staff with a copy of her insurance card and she was able to get immediate treatment.
No one ever plans to get injured or become ill. If, however, you or a family member finds themselves needing quick and qualified care an urgent care setting may be the perfect solution.