What is the point of "urgent care"

debodun

debodun

SF VIP
Location
way upstate in New York, USA
I've been to these urgent care places several times (once for an earache, once for dizzy spells and once for abdominal pain) and always left wondering what is their purpose. It's like they don't even want to touch or examine you. You have to explain your problem to 3 or 4 different people before even seeing a real doctor, then he or she asks you the same questions, then says, "Make an appointment with your primary physician." What if doc has just started a 6 week vacation? I've never been helped at one of these facilities and it costs twice as much as going to a primary doctor.
 

I've had positive experiences at urgent care facilities when I've used them (which admittedly hasn't been much), and when my doc goes on vacation, someone else at his office covers for him.
 

I've always had excellent experience at the urgent care centers I've gone to. If I were to call my doctor and say that I have a bad sinus infection, I'd get an appointment for the day after tomorrow. If I were to go to the ER, I'd wait for six hours to see someone. I go to the urgent care center and I'm seen within an hour, sometimes in minutes. Some of the urgent care centers in my area even take appointments. I haven't been to my primary care doctor for anything like a sinus infection or the flu for a couple of years, only for my annual check-up and medicine renewal.

When I went to an urgent care last summer in North Carolina, not only did I get great care, but they called me twice in the following days to see if I was doing well. My doctor's office definitely doesn't do that.

I'm a big fan of urgent care centers.
 
I did do urgent care, twice, when I could not breathe. Results were acceptable, but not outstanding. Last time, 2-1/2 years ago, the "Nurse Practitioner" examining me discovered my swollen lymph nodes beneath my jaw, and recommended I get them "checked out".

Since then, I have been to two different "real" doctors, neither of which bothered to check anything but B.P. Back in Missouri, our little Filippino doctor always did the routine exam things I would feel should ALWAYS be a part of routine exams: ankle edema, stethoscope heart/lungs check, palpate for swollen liver, look in the ears, check lymph nodes. In that respect, he wasa better doctor than the Principal Care Providers I am stuck with under Supplemental Coverage. imp
 
Urgent care is for "walk-in" visits for stuff like broken thumbs, and sicknessess for which you need treatment and/or meds. Kaiser is an HMO, which I prefer over PPOs, that tend to require approval from the lawyers and bean counters on every little service,
 
tnthomas said:
Urgent care is for "walk-in" visits for stuff like broken thumbs, and sicknessess for which you need treatment and/or meds. Kaiser is an HMO, which I prefer over PPOs, that tend to require approval from the lawyers and bean counters on every little service,
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That about sums it up. I've gone straight to a specialist after an injury or obvious problems and saved a ton of money and time. An ER visit unless necessary is a trip into the vortex called the American medical system.
 
WhatInThe said:
That about sums it up. I've gone straight to a specialist after an injury or obvious problems and saved a ton of money and time. An ER visit unless necessary is a trip into the vortex called the American medical system.
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I've done it twice: 5AM on a Sunday morning, unable to breathe, thought I'd be dead soon. Multiple shots in the posterior relaxed the spasmed bronchii. THEN, I went to my Dr. on Monday.

Second time, different location, Arizona this time, HAD no Dr., yet, went to ER, almost similar experience except they did more fancy-work, created a huge bill! But, they helped me.

Vowing no third time would happen, I stocked up on the necessary "just in case" meds., still have them in the fridge. Bronchodilator, Albuterol, to relax bronchospasm, and steroid long-term infrequent use anti-inflammatory, Budesonide, both self-prescribed. I did a lot of studying, after 10 years of dubious diagnoses, but never anything concrete, from many doctors; they had established "practices"......imp
 
I like urgent care after hours over going to the ER. Last time I was there, I saw the same doctor that I had had at the ER just a few years before.
 

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