Broken bones. Lacerations. Influenza. Bronchitis. Strep throat. High blood pressure. High cholesterol. Fatigue. Lethargy. Ankle sprains. The common cold. Wounds. Gouges. Broken teeth. Broken noses. Dizziness. Vomiting. Unnatural bowel movements. These are some of the issues that are treated by a new type of health facility: the urgent care clinic.

Urgent care centers are growing in America. There are 20,000 physicians who are currently practicing urgent care medicine and more and more physicians are training in that discipline due to the growing demand. Currently, three million patients go to an urgent care center every week. And there are approximately 6,800 urgent care centers in America.

Urgent care centers are seen as the bridge in the healthcare system between primary care physicians and the emergency room. There are many benefits that the urgent care centers shares with both of the two places, and some drawbacks as well. But mostly, it offers the patients a huge option: the ability to be seen immediately.

The primary care physician office has many positive qualities. Patients are able to be seen in a one on one setting, a setting that is less intensive than a hospital. They are able to be treated for a wide variety of illnesses and ailments, and they are able to do so at a lower rate than other forms of medical treatment.

Sometimes copays are as low as $5.

Urgent care centers share some of the same characteristics as a primary care physician office. They treat a wide variety of illnesses (more than a primary care physician can treat), see patients in a less intensive setting than an emergency room and have relatively small copays (as low as $35). But it has some major other benefits as well.

Urgent care centers see patients on a walk-in basis, meaning that patients do not have to make an appointment to see a doctor or a physician. Primary care physicians and their offices generally require an appointment to be seen. This makes urgent care centers beneficial for those that have immediate problems.

Urgent care centers also have more sophisticated equipment than a primary care physician’s office. They have x-ray machines to analyze broken bones. Some even have MRI and CAT screens, making their equipment like some of the equipment in a hospital. Urgent care centers are good for immediate problems.

Emergency rooms have many advantages over other forms of care. There is the opportunity to be treated by the best physicians in the area. There is the opportunity to be diagnosed and treated with the best equipment in the area. It is the highest form of care and good for immediate health issues that are life-threatening.

110 million people in the United States visit the emergency room every year. However, they may not all need to be there. One study showed that 48% of people who went to an emergency room could have been treated in a less intensive setting. That is significant, given the amount of bills and costs that occur.

The average ER bill is $1,500, while the average bill for Urgent Care is under $150. That is a significant difference for patients. Urgent care centers have the advantage for patients when it comes to cost and urgent care centers still provide a strong treatment for individuals with serious illnesses and ailments.

Urgent care centers, then, serve as the bridge between emergency rooms and the primary care physician office. Urgent care centers have the tools starting to approach the tools in emergency rooms, the lower cost of a primary care physician, the ability to walk in like an emergency room, and strong treatment.

Urgent care centers are growing in popularity as a form of treatment, both within the patient circles and also within the doctor field. One helpful part of urgent care is pediatric health. Pediatric health is a field that looks at the health of children and urgent care is no exception.

Urgent care treats cases of pediatric health, such as common colds, bumps and bruises, and more serious ailments, with the same care that they do for adults. Pediatric health is treated well and effectively, depending on the clinic, with illnesses and ailments diagnosed and treated.

Urgent care centers are growing and spreading, not just in America but around the world.