Does this sound familiar?

"Should I merely go to my regular md?"

You went to work today but y'all feel sick. You aren't really certain how sick you are (who knows, mayhap information technology's allergies?) and yous decide it'southward non worth the trouble of rescheduling all you accept lined up for the day. You will notwithstanding take your daughter to ballet class, y'all will however melt dinner, you volition all the same spend a few hours finishing up your presentation. You know yous probably should see a doctor, just don't have the fourth dimension to make a call, leave a bulletin, receive a retrieve, exist put on hold, pull over, accept out your calendar, and ultimately schedule an appointment two weeks out when y'all know you will exist healthy by then!

What nigh that urgent care clinic you lot bulldoze by 5x per 24-hour interval?

You know what you lot have isn't "urgent…"

You lot are confident y'all don't need to go to the ER…

The truth is, that urgent intendance and user-friendly care are synonymous and urgent care is a great option if you are looking for a quicker and frequently cheaper style to a see a doctor.

Urgent Intendance vs. Primary Intendance Have Different Purposes

Your primary medico plays a very important part in your long term health.

  • PCPs know your medical history and the conditions you've suffered from. They have access to your medical records and can therefore come up to more educated conclusions when you come to them with symptoms. This is especially of import when managing chronic weather condition.
  • PCPs tin can exist your abode base of operations for illness or chronic condition management, and can advise you lot on the next step based on everything you've already tried.

Urgent care clinics are here to support patients going through urgent medical conditions. They don't deal with life threatening conditions – that's what the ER is for – but they practise assist patients who can't await for a family medico appointment.

  • They are open up much longer hours than principal clinics, sometimes even 24/7, and were founded on a walk-in civilisation. While walking-in is still possible, many of them accept appointments and permit you to actually be seen aforementioned day.
  • Y'all tin walk into an urgent care clinic and pay a fraction of what y'all would at the ER.
  • Many clinics are working to connect the experience back to PCPs by sharing information about your visit with your doctor.

What Conditions are Treated by Urgent Care vs. Primary Care?

Urgent care clinics handle basically the same weather condition equally a chief medico's clinic.

  • When yous're non feeling well
  • The times you need basic shots (like the flu shot) or stitches.
  • To get your prescriptions renewed
  • When y'all demand tests done (10-rays, lab tests, strep tests)
  • Bonus: yous might fifty-fifty run into your regular physician doing an evening shift at the urgent care dispensary later your primary dispensary closes its doors for the solar day.

There are, notwithstanding, circumstances when you should consider your primary care doctor over an urgent care. And if y'all don't take a PCP, these are reasons to get one.

  • Having a steady care provider and team familiar with yourself and your family
  • Managing long-term medications, including medication changes
  • Supporting chronic condition, illness and pain
  • Maintaining consummate medical records at a single point
  • Having all referrals and specialist joined to the same central provider team

What is the Cost Between Urgent Intendance and Primary Care?

  • Walking into an urgent care clinic is convenient. They're often located at commercial centers, so y'all can stop by while running errands. The fact you don't need an appointment makes information technology easier.
  • While primary doctor appointments have a reputation of accepting insurance and therefore being more than affordable, about urgent cares practice equally well, making cost comparable. With Solv, y'all will always know whether or non your insurance is accepted at a item dispensary and what paying out of pocket would cost.

Fourth dimension to Determine: Urgent Care or Primary Care?

In general, the main difference betwixt an urgent care and a primary care is that the urgent care should be used equally supplemental to principal care and never as a replacement to them. Though urgent intendance can be used instead of a master intendance doctor in some cases, it is not recommended. Need to choose betwixt an urgent care clinic and your principal dr.?

  • If y'all need someone who knows your history and can help y'all manage your wellness long term, make an attempt to schedule an date with your chief doctor.
  • If it'due south urgent and after hours, or if y'all need one-fourth dimension help that's not related to a chronic or long term condition, verify that your closest urgent care clinic accepts your insurance plan. Find out in advance how much yous'll pay, make an appointment online or go ahead and walk into an urgent care clinic.