Use urgent care to treat existing conditions when you can’t wait for a doctor’s appointment or don’t have a regular family doctor. In the U.S., there are more than three million cases of seasonal allergies per year. There are lots of situations when you may need care urgently for a medical problem.
Sometimes, a person just can’t wait two or three weeks — or even two or three days — for a doctor’s appointment. But even when a person may need immediate care for a medical problem, they may not need the emergency room at the hospital. It’s at times like these that someone may need urgent care to treat minor medical emergencies and pre-existing conditions.
Use Urgent Care to Treat Existing Conditions
An urgent care center is designed to give someone medical treatment exactly when they need it, not next week or three days from when they need it. And, even if they have an existing condition, it can be treated at urgent care. Minor medical emergencies of all types are treated here. Urgent care facilities very commonly treat asthma, chronic back pain, and pregnancy complications. Even if someone has a condition that is normally treated by their doctor, they can go to urgent care to get relief while they wait for the next appointment.
Emergency Situations and Healthcare Without Insurance
Urgent care facilities can treat many different kinds of medical conditions, including flu and virus symptoms, rashes, sprains, strains, fevers, dehydration and lots of existing medical conditions, including stitch removal. But there are some medical problems that can’t and shouldn’t be taken to urgent care. Bone breaks, chest pain, numbness or tingling, seizures, and severe flu symptoms should be treated at the ER. Pregnant women experiencing vaginal bleeding of any kind should also go to the emergency room, where there is usually much more equipment and more extensive treatment facilities available.
When You Don’t Know Where to Go
When a person is not sure if they need urgent care or the ER, just ask. Call or go to the urgent care center, describe the problem and get their advice. The staff at urgent care knows exactly what the facility can and cannot treat, so they can tell you exactly where you need to go.
Get Medical Care for the Whole Family
Before someone goes to urgent care, make sure they have all of the right items with you. First, check your insurance card. The copay for urgent care may be listed separately and usually, this is higher than your normal physician copay. Bring any medication bottles with you. Reach out to the pharmacy, they can tell someone the exact name of any regular medications that may have been filled with them.
Unlike a physician, the urgent care facility won’t have any of your records or information. A person will fill out several forms and they’ll be asked a series of health questions before receiving treatment. When you’re in pain, this can feel like a very long, slow process. Do your best to be patient. The forms and the questions are necessary, and they’re in a place to ensure that someone gets the best possible treatment.
