Flu season is right around the corner. Are you prepared?
This isn’t cause to panic, but a gentle reminder that you have more medical options than you realize. Alongside your regular doctor and the emergency room you should have a resource that’s effective and affordable. Even more, it should be able to provide you a wide variety of healthcare options to make sure you’re always ready for the road ahead. The urgent care clinic is one of the most widely used medical locations today for families of all shapes and sizes. It can provide you preventative care, fracture care and much, much more.
Learn more about your Bellevue urgent care setting, and urgent care locations in general, with the overview below.
Medical costs today are higher than ever. It can cause you so much stress you’re in an even worse spot to recover after a sprain or a bad fever. Recent estimates have determined six out of 10 Baby Boomers will be managing a chronic condition by 2030. Another one out of 10 Baby Boomers reported their physical activity to be limited to a few days a month, thanks to prevalent issues like lower back pain and hip pain. Overall, 70% of Americans today are struggling with chronic pain that limits what they can do.
There’s good news, however. A recent study found you can actually save money in the long-term by seeking out help now rather than later. Medical costs for lower back pain averaged at $2,700 lower for patients receiving early physical therapy or referrals. Unfortunately, another study revealed at least 40% of people suffering from long-term lower back pain do not see a doctor or a physical therapist about their condition. Many factors can create chronic pain in the neck, shoulders and back, including poor postures, harsh working conditions and the onset of age.
Urgent care medicine, as you’ve likely concluded, is a reliable method of pinpointing the source of your issues and finally getting treatment. There are over 20,000 physicians who practice Urgent Care Medicine today and thousands of urgent care clinics across the country. It’s not just chronic pain and physical therapy they offer, but treatment for minor and moderate illnesses or injuries that aren’t quite severe enough to be seen in the emergency room. You’ll save money, time and stress when you visit your local urgent care clinic and ask for a check-up.
Today the most common diagnosis brought to the urgent care center is an upper respiratory condition, such as asthma or bronchitis. The most common procedure, determined in a 2012 study, is wound repair. An urgent care clinic can provide fracture care and treat sprains. They can treat common conditions like urinary tract infections, poison ivy and food poisoning. They can also provide you pain relief for a fever that’s a little too high or a flu that won’t seem to go away. The convenient locations and schedules of the urgent care clinic can easily fit into your everyday life.
Preventative care is just as important as swift treatment. With flu season fast approaching it’s important you get your flu shots as soon as possible. It takes up to two weeks for your immune system to build its defenses and your past vaccination needs to be updated as soon as possible to keep both you and others safe. The Urgent Care Association Of America determined over three million patients visiting an urgent care clinic every week. This number is only going to get higher once more Americans become privy to their options.
Don’t let a flu catch you unprepared. Ask the doctors at your urgent care clinic about a yearly vaccination and check-up.