Medical care is expensive, but not all forms of treatment have the same costs. According to the Annals of Emergency Medicine, treatment costs in an emergency room are ten times higher than at an urgent care center. Such contrasts are shocking. By 2016, patients with similar conditions would pay approximately $2,200 in an ER instead of $168 in an urgent care center for the same diagnosis.
What Is Urgent Care?
People who often feel unwell suddenly but aren’t sick enough to go to the emergency room will go to urgent care. They try to reach their primary care physician (PCP), who is probably booked and isn’t able to squeeze them in. Unable to wait until the physician’s schedule opens forces the person to seek alternative ways to get medical and urgent care.
Urgent care centers provide medical assistance to people who need medical attention but aren’t able to get to their PCP. These centers have qualified physicians and nurses and provide various treatment options. Some of the medical and urgent care services they provide include treatment and prescriptions for; allergic reactions, back pain, deep cuts, ear infections, fevers, sprains, and urinary tract infections.
What Are The Average Costs?
Actual costs of receiving treatment at an urgent care center will vary based on varying factors such as what condition is diagnosed and the kind of prescriptions needed for treatment. Usually, the lower costs for medical and urgent care are between $100-150 and can be as high as $300-400.
Even though the prices seem relatively high, they are significantly lower than the cost of going to an emergency room. Many urgent care centers will accept traditional healthcare insurance. However, it does depend on the type of cover the patient has.
Urgent care centers are convenient. Patients don’t need prior appointments to get medical and urgent care. They can walk into a center, and they will get help. An added advantage is that they are even open on weekends.
Patients can get treatment when they need it. It would be devastating if patients could not get the treatment they needed because their PCP was too busy, and they didn’t qualify for the ER.
Urgent care centers are convenient and relatively low in cost. Many factors can cause the cost of treatment to vary even while visiting an urgent care center. Ask important questions or even take some time to research before having a clear idea. For more information on our medical and urgent care center, give us a call today.
