If you are sick, there is an alternative to waiting for hours in the emergency room for help, or playing phone tag with your doctor’s secretary. You can always head to the nearest urgent care center to get immediate, convenient care. There are about 9,000 of these centers in the U.S., and many more in the works, making urgent care centers one of the fastest growing sectors in the American healthcare system.

In 2006, the Urgent Care Association of America sponsored the first urgent care medicine fellowship training program, and thousands of doctors now practice Urgent Care Medicine. The increase in doctors in this field and patients visiting these facilities, this industry accounts for $14 billion in revenue every year in the U.S.

Urgent care facilities provide convenient care for all patients as they are open 7 days a week, and offer after hours urgent care. This is helpful, because only about 30% of physicians open their offices after hours. In these centers, there are licensed nurses and medical assistants, and these facilities are required to have a physician on-site at all times. These medical professionals can treat ear infections, upper respiratory infections, lacerations, and most non-life threatening illnesses.

In addition, these centers function as walk-in clinics, so patients do not have to make an appointment. Most patients wait a maximum of 20 minutes to be seen by a nurse or doctor, and they are usually in and out of the facility within an hour. Doctors can order a prescription for a patient and have it filled on-site in many facilities. This way, patients can leave with their medication in hand. Unlike the ER, urgent medical care in one of these centers costs less than $150 on average.

So do not wait for your doctor to get back to you, or waste time in an ER. You can get quality care at an urgent care facility near you. Read more like this: doctorsexpressnewark.com