When a child breaks a bone or has an ear infection, strep throat, a fever that won’t go away, many parents are choosing to treat the condition at an urgent care center rather than at an emergency room. Citing lower costs and shorter wait times at urgent care locations, more parents are seeking out urgent care for kids whose injuries or illnesses are moderate to severe.
Most urgent medical care centers are open well past dinnertime, with 9 out of 10 staying open past 7:00 pm and almost half having an open door policy until after 9:00 pm during the week.
Compared to the extended wait times many families face at emergency rooms, urgent care facilities are becoming known for their speed. More than half of all patients are seen, cared for an discharged within 90 minutes of arrival.
Urgent care services are often reported as being comprehensive, with seven out of 10 facilities being able to treat fractures. Privately funded facilities boast up-to-date billing and patient tracking systems, can often prescribe medication and refer for follow-up visits.
Urgent care facilities are often locally available, and are considered a viable option when time is of the essence. No parent wants their child to have to wait for hours at an emergency room when specialized care could be obtained more quickly and at a cheaper price. Urgent care is the type of service that is said to really make a difference in patient recovery time and overall comfort.