Accidents don’t keep regular business hours.
A slip on the stairs or an accidental cut to your hand while cooking dinner can happen to anyone.
Urgent care fills a unique role between emergency rooms and primary care providers. If you have a minor illness or injury that can’t wait until the next day, it’s best to seek out an urgent care facility.
At MiDoctor Health, we offer comprehensive primary healthcare and urgent care services. In this article, we’ll discuss what urgent care is, the types of conditions treated and the benefits of using an urgent care facility.
What are the benefits of Urgent Care?
Four benefits of using an urgent care center include:
1. Shorter waiting times
An urgent care clinic is designed to provide you with fast, effective treatment from medical professionals. Unlike emergency rooms, where you may have to wait a while if you’re deemed not a high priority, the waiting time at an urgent care center shouldn’t be longer than one hour.
2. After-hours availability
Most urgent care centers are open daily, including at weekends and public holidays. As mentioned above, the services are available after regular business hours, making it the most convenient choice when emergency medical matters occur.
3. Appointments aren’t mandatory
When you need urgent care, all you have to do is to walk into a center. Making appointments or providing referrals is unnecessary to receive fast and practical treatment. Knowing that there are places where you WILL be helped is comforting, right?
4. Affordable prices
Urgent care is typically cheaper than visiting an emergency room. You can save a considerable amount of money on consultations, therapies, examinations and other general services. Usually, urgent care centers accept most types of health insurance, offer flexible payment options and affordable pricing for those without insurance, from babies to seniors.
Common Conditions Treated at Urgent Care Centers
Healthcare providers working in urgent care facilities treat a variety of illnesses and conditions daily.
The most common conditions include:
Injury and Illness
This category includes but isn’t limited to bites, burns, scrapes, stings and cuts.
STD Testing
Urgent care accommodates:
- Patients with symptoms of an STD
- Testing after contact with a known STD sufferer
- Tests that are offered include but are not limited to HIV, syphilis, hepatitis C, hepatitis B, gonorrhea and chlamydia.
Laboratory Services
Laboratory testing services include:
In-house Laboratory Services
- Covid 19 RAPID RT-PCR, rapid antigen test, rapid molecular test,
- Rapid HIV testing,
- Urinalysis.
Outsourced Laboratory Services
- Hematology/blood counts.
- Cholesterol/lipids.
- Blood and body fluid sample collection.
- Biochemistry and toxicology.
Flu Shots and Vaccinations
Treatment for seasonal viruses such as influenza (flu) and vaccinations for bacterial diseases like tetanus are available and administered at urgent care centers.
How do you know if you have the flu?
You’ll experience some or all of these symptoms:
- Fever or feeling feverish/chills
- Cough
- Sore throat
- Runny or stuffy nose
- Muscle or body aches
- Headaches
- Fatigue
Did you know that flu can be spread by By airborne respiratory droplets (coughs or sneezes), by touching a contaminated surface and even by transferring saliva through kissing and sharing drinks? Handshakes or hugs can also transmit the virus from one person to another.
Flu shots are especially recommended for:
- Pregnant women
- Elderly patients
- Young children
- Those with autoimmune disorders
Travel Medicine
If you’re planning a vacation to a country with a high risk of contracting specific diseases, make sure you visit an urgent care center to find out which vaccinations you’ll require. It’s vital to note that some vaccines need as much as two weeks to become effective before the date of travel. These diseases Include but aren’t limited to
- Yellow fever vaccine is required for numerous African countries such as Benin, Burkina Faso, Burundi, Cameron, Central African Republic, Congo and Côte d’ivoire.
- Diphtheria is a serious infection of the nose and throat that can be treated with antibiotics and a vaccine is available.
- Hepatitis A is a highly contagious viral infection that affects the liver. It usually resolves in a few days, but palliative treatment can alleviate the symptoms.
- Hepatitis B is another strain of the virus, affecting the liver. This disease is most commonly spread by exposure to infected bodily fluids.
Pediatric Urgent Care
For parents, the health and overall wellbeing of their child(ren) is their number one priority. Any service provided for adult patients can also be offered as pediatric urgent care.
Pediatricians have specialist training in children’s health. It’s vital to remember that children’s health is not just a ‘smaller’ version of adult health. Children’s bodies function differently than adults due to the growth and maturity stages. Pediatricians are also more familiar with childhood illnesses.
So, the next time you’re feeling unwell or your son/daughter gets a worrying cough, or you experience a minor accident, consider attending one of our urgent care clinics close to you.
The bottom line is that urgent care centers provide adults and children relief from non-life-threatening illnesses and injuries when they need it most.
Need Urgent Care in NY?
Our urgent care facilities in the Upper East Side and Hell’s Kitchen are fully equipped, offering the latest in medical diagnostic technology, including an on-site lab for bloodwork and urinalysis—so there’s no need to go to another facility for further testing.
We offer a comprehensive range of patient care services available by appointment or walk-in 365 days a year. Walk-ins are welcome, but consultations can also be made by phone or online. Schedule an appointment with us today!
