Imagine yourself feeling sick in the morning soon after waking up. You have to drop your kids to school, do some groceries and finally reach office. Of course, you can’t miss any of these and neither can you ignore seeing a doctor.
What would you do? Either walk-in to the urgent care center and get yourself checked or book an appointment with your family doctor. However, in the latter case, you might have to wait for a week. By that time you might feel right. Or luckily if your doctor agrees to see you on the same day, there might be a possibility that you have to wait for your turn.
Urgent care is, therefore, a great option, but sometimes it can’t replace the significance of primary care. First of all, let’s find out the purposes of both urgent care and primary care.
Purpose of Urgent Care VS Primary Care
Primary care physician can help you stay healthy and wellbeing as you pay regular visits. They are familiar with your past medical record and what problems you have suffered in the past. They can offer treatment and suggest measures to avoid life-threatening diseases like heart, chronic and diabetes.
On the contrary, urgent care centers can offer you immediate care for non-life threatening illnesses and injuries. The best thing about urgent care is that you don’t have to wait for long hours, nor do you need an appointment.
Moreover, you can visit urgent care center for extended hours and some of them are opened 24/7, 365 days a year. Unlike primary care, you don’t have to pay hefty fees. We will look at the cost differences between the two, but first, let’s see what conditions are treated by the urgent care and primary care.
What Conditions does Urgent Care and Primary Care Treat?
Urgent care and primary care clinics normally provide the same types of services. For instance, both of them treat you when you are not feeling well. At times you might need some stitches or have a flu shot to avoid seasonal flu. Moreover, you can also get your lab tests, x-rays and pediatric care at urgent and primary care centers.
There are some conditions that require you to visit a primary care doctor. Here are some of the reasons that you should go for primary care doctor.
- A care provider who knows well about you and your family, medical history and offer treatment from time to time
- Managing long-term medications
- Supporting pain, illness, and chronic condition
- Complete medical records at one place
Cost of Primary Care VS Urgent Care
Urgent care clinics are easy and convenient to access. They are located within the metropolitan area near your house where you can stop by and get yourself checked. No need to wait or make an appointment.
The average urgent care visit will cost $71-125. The base price of a visit is added to the cost of extra services, such as x-rays, injections, medications, and casting bones.
Primary doctors are more costly than urgent care doctors. Primary care physicians have a set office visit price, which generally ranges from $100-300 depending upon your area and their specialties.
Author Bio:
Ray Parker is an entrepreneur and internet marketer with over 7 years of experience in Search Engine Optimization, Creative Writing and Digital Marketing. He has proven track record of delivering results and presently working at UrgentWay as a marketing consultant.
