Convenient care when it comes to a medical emergency used to be difficult to receive. Doctors do not need to have after hours, so urgent care locations were sparse, but very necessary. Nowadays, there are urgent care 24 hours clinics offered in many different areas. Almost two thirds of these centers employ a mix of physicians, nurse practitioners, or physician assistants.
65 percent of centers have at least one physician on site at all times in most urgent care locations. An estimated three million patients visits an urgent care center each week in the US. Some of the conditions most often treated at these urgent care centers in most places include sprains, strains, fractures, upper respiratory illnesses, gastrointestinal conditions such as food poisoning, lacerations, and concussions.
These are all things that can happen typically at any time, which is why these centers can be very helpful. There are nearly 9,000 convenient care centers in the United States, and that number continues to grow as more and more people need attention after hours.
More and more attention is being given to these centers in order that they give help to those who need it. In spring of 2009, the Urgent Care Association of America established the Certified Urgent Care Center designation for urgent care centers. Urgent care facilities are attentive to the needs of the people who use them, and urgent care costs can be dealt with after whatever the situation may be is taken care of.
Sometimes this means getting a hold of the doctor, sometimes this means paying directly out of pocket. A lot of people feel that with these urgent care clinics, they are more accepting of late night emergencies and are very well appreciated for these reasons. See more.