Emergency Clinic For Urgent Medical Care
Emergency Rooms and emergency clinics are two different phenomena. While the former serves patients based on the urgency of their problem, the latter provides immediate medical care for a large number of urgent yet non-life threatening medical issues.
Emergency clinics or retail based healthcare facilities are a fast growing phenomenon in the US. The first in-store clinic opened up in Minneapolis and was known as Minute-Clinic. According to the founder of the clinic, it was a strep throat test for his son and the inaccessibility to immediate medical care that triggered the idea of starting emergency clinics.
With the passage of time emergency clinic care has evolved. The first models were rather primitive. Most of them charged a flat fee. They were mainly useful for rapid testing and diagnosis. Medicines were prescribed for a dozen common infections only including strep throat, flu, eye and ear infections as well as allergic reactions. Early clinics have now evolved into more sophisticated emergency care facilities that provide care for a wider range of medical issues. These days, freestanding urgent medical care centers work extended hours and are open during the weekends. Unlike emergency rooms though, they are not open 24/7. Emergency health care clinics are staffed by certified physicians and nurses who provide high quality medical care. Most centers even perform lab work including X-rays. Often, these clinics also have referral relationships with local physicians or hospitals in case of unusual conditions. The best feature by far is the fact that patients do not need a prior appointment to meet a doctor.
One of the main reasons for the popularity of emergency health clinics, besides the easy access to medical care, is the cost factor. A general cost comparison between health care in ERs and that in emergency clinics shows a huge variance. For instance, allergy related problems cost well below $100 in retain health clinics while the same made the patient poorer by $300+ in ERs. A common ear infection was billed at $90 in most urgent care clinics while the same was charged $400 in the ER. This kind of variation was seen in case of other ailments too. Most treatments in emergency clinics are in the range of $40-$90 while those in ER are above $300.
These days, urgent medical care clinics have become consumer friendly and are open to insurance. Patients are also provided with all the documentation they will require for reimbursement if they were to file on their own.
Emergency clinic care is very consumer centric. Therefore, patients can expect high quality medical care within minutes.
Emergency clinics or retail based healthcare facilities are a fast growing phenomenon in the US. The first in-store clinic opened up in Minneapolis and was known as Minute-Clinic. According to the founder of the clinic, it was a strep throat test for his son and the inaccessibility to immediate medical care that triggered the idea of starting emergency clinics.
With the passage of time emergency clinic care has evolved. The first models were rather primitive. Most of them charged a flat fee. They were mainly useful for rapid testing and diagnosis. Medicines were prescribed for a dozen common infections only including strep throat, flu, eye and ear infections as well as allergic reactions. Early clinics have now evolved into more sophisticated emergency care facilities that provide care for a wider range of medical issues. These days, freestanding urgent medical care centers work extended hours and are open during the weekends. Unlike emergency rooms though, they are not open 24/7. Emergency health care clinics are staffed by certified physicians and nurses who provide high quality medical care. Most centers even perform lab work including X-rays. Often, these clinics also have referral relationships with local physicians or hospitals in case of unusual conditions. The best feature by far is the fact that patients do not need a prior appointment to meet a doctor.
One of the main reasons for the popularity of emergency health clinics, besides the easy access to medical care, is the cost factor. A general cost comparison between health care in ERs and that in emergency clinics shows a huge variance. For instance, allergy related problems cost well below $100 in retain health clinics while the same made the patient poorer by $300+ in ERs. A common ear infection was billed at $90 in most urgent care clinics while the same was charged $400 in the ER. This kind of variation was seen in case of other ailments too. Most treatments in emergency clinics are in the range of $40-$90 while those in ER are above $300.
These days, urgent medical care clinics have become consumer friendly and are open to insurance. Patients are also provided with all the documentation they will require for reimbursement if they were to file on their own.
Emergency clinic care is very consumer centric. Therefore, patients can expect high quality medical care within minutes.
