It has taken a little more than 72 hours, but you are finally over the hump of having the flu. If has been a nasty bout, and you would not wish it on anyone. Now that you have had some rest and have been able to look back at the last few days, both you and your spouse realize that you have not been that sick in decades. Of all the symptoms, the chills were the worst. In fact, when you got them the first night, you went into convulsions that lasted about 20 minutes. Your husband was minutes from taking you into the emergency room. The fact that you had just come from a local walk in clinic and had a diagnosis, however, helped you both stay as calm as possible. A quick call to the clinic allowed you to talk to a doctor who talked you through the uncomfortable symptoms. Once the chills went away, both you and your husband were able to get a little bit of rest.
The follow up call from the family medicine walk in clinic was also comforting. When ever you are sick today it can sometimes be a challenge to know where you should seek treatment. The fact that there are so many after hours medical care options, however, does make the decision easier most of the time. Especially when you are not in an emergency situation, a walk in family medicine clinic can help you get the care you need without having to spend the money and time that it costs to visit a hospital emergency room.
Consider some of these important facts and figures about the health care clinics in America and the important role that they play in the affordable and convenient care that patients receive, as well as the nation’s economy:
- 92% of urgent care centers maintained wait times of 30 minutes or less in the year 2015, according to the Urgent Care Association of America’s 2016 Benchmarking Report.
- Unfortunately, as many as 70% of emergency room visits involving patients with consumer-sponsored insurance coverage are for preventable or non-emergency conditions.
- Only 3% of patients who come to an urgent care center ever need to be diverted to an emergency department, according to a review by Becker’s Hospital.
- Marking an increase from 2015’s count of 6,707, there are 7,357 urgent care centers in the U.S., according to Urgent Care Association of America’s 2016 Benchmarking Report.
- 27% of U.S. patients reported in 2016 that they had visited an urgent care center in the last 24 months.
Whether you are looking for a flu vaccine or a flu diagnosis, the closest family medicine walk in clinic may be the options that gives you the most affordable, convenient, and reliable care.
