As the nation continues to adjust to the fact that so many more Americans have access to health care insurance, the health care industry continues to look for ways to provide all of the coverage that is needed. Although there was a time when hospital emergency rooms and family physician’s offices provided the majority of the care that was needed. Today, however, that is no longer the case. Today’s health consumers, even the ones who have insurance coverage, want affordable and immediate care. Very often this care is needed late at night or on weekends. This is where the urgent care centers across the country come in.

Walk in clinics are an increasingly popular platform for a variety of purposes. Sometimes open 24 hours, but always open late at night and over the weekend, these convenient health care platforms are staffed by well trained doctors who are skilled in a variety of care options.

Where Do You Go When You Are in Need of After Hour Health Care?

Urgent care centers offer a number of advantages that include affordability, convenience, and quality. Although there certainly are times when it is necessary to go to a hospital emergency room, the truth is the majority of health care needs do not fall into that category. One indicator that this is an increasingly popular option is the fact that an estimated 3 million patients visit urgent care centers each week, according to the latest research provided by the Urgent Care Association of America.

Affordability
Finding a way to pay for the health care that you need is not a challenge for many individuals and families. Fortunately, one of the advantages of the urgent care center platform is that the fees are affordable. In fact, many of these clinics go so far as to post the prices for the most common services. From strep throat tests to x-rays for possible broken bones, there are many times when getting affordable care can help many health consumers.

Convenience
Another one of the greatest advantages to the urgent care center platform is that they are convenient. Located in various places around the country, these walk in clinics offer hours that appeal to health care consumers who know that illnesses and injuries do not always happen during regular office hours. The average child catches between six and 10 colds a year, but some of then are serious enough that they require a visit to see the doctor.

Quality
In addition to being both affordable and convenient, walk in health clinics also provide quality care. In fact, there are a growing number of physicians who make the decision to work in these stand alone health care clinics. The fact that 80% of clinics provide fracture care means that there are many doctors who are ended o make the important evaluations that will determine whether or not further care will be needed.

Consider some of these other facts and figures about the kind of care that is most commonly administered in the increasing number of walk in clinics across the country:

• As many as 44% to 65% of all emergency room episodes could have been treated in urgent care settings, according to a private study conducted by Milliman.
• Five out of six children will have at least one ear infection before they turn three. In addition, nearly 40% of these children will have three or more ear infections by that age.
• 25,000 Americans suffer from an ankle sprain each day, so it is important to know that urgent care centers can help determine if there are nay broken bones.
• Health care clinics provide the flu shots that many people need to make sure that they are as healthy as possible.
• It takes between one and four days for flu symptoms to show up even after a person has contracted the virus, so many people find themselves looking for a test to confirm their symptoms.
• 200,000 Americans are hospitalized each year due to complications caused by the flu, so it is important to make sure that you get your symptoms diagnosed as soon as possible.

Knowing where to get the health care that you need is an important life decision.