Urgent Care: Finding a Good Clinic In A Hurry

Mar 11
11:25

2012

Aaliyah Arthur

Aaliyah Arthur

  • Share this article on Facebook
  • Share this article on Twitter
  • Share this article on Linkedin

Urgent care facilities provide a unique level of medical treatment that falls somewhere in between the need for an Emergency Room and the difficulties of making a quick doctor's appointment. Here's how to find a good one.

mediaimage
Urgent care facilities provide a unique level of medical treatment that falls somewhere in between the need for an Emergency Room and the difficulties of making a quick doctor's appointment. Most of these facilities operate on a walk-in basis,Urgent Care: Finding a Good Clinic In A Hurry Articles with a first-come, first-served policy. This is different from the ER, which works on a first-priority basis. For this reason, it is not recommended that you choose a clinic when the ER would be a better option (life-threatening injury, intense pain, or any other ailment which may require a hospital stay). But if you fall in that "in-between" category, where the ER is overkill but you can't wait for a doctor's appointment, a clinic of this kind makes the perfect compromise. Here's how to find a good one.

Referral

If you have a regular physician, you may want to start with them. After all, if you can get in to see your normal doctor immediately, that is usually the best option. If you have a broken or sprained ankle, though, and you can't get an appointment for several days, waiting is obviously not an option. It's still worth calling, however, even if you are certain that your physician will not be able to get you in immediately. They may be able to give you the name of a good urgent care facility in your area where you can go in the meantime.

Insurance

Check with your insurance plan. Chances are, there are several urgent care clinics in your area, but they may not all be covered by your network. In fact, most of them probably aren't. So unless you want to pay out of pocket, you should check your list even if you know of a few names already. If you don't know any names, this is a good way to find one. If you don't have your plan handy, call up your provider and they should be able to give you a list of the facilities in your location that you can visit and be covered by the plan.

Location

While this isn't always the case, you might find success by looking around the main hospital in your area. Many urgent care clinics know that this is the best area to set up their facilities. This is, of course, only a good plan if you're already out in your car and don't have access to the internet or a phone book. But it often leads to success. If you're home or somewhere where you do have access to those resources, however, you would be better off using them.