ER and Urgent Care Benefits

At one time or another, many of us have had to visit a hospital Emergency Room. Medical situations that need immediate attention have often placed us in the ER for 24 hour emergency care, for lack of any other options.

Other times, we have visited an urgent care center. Some of the urgent care benefits include shorter wait times and more convenient hours. In addition, quality counts, and urgent care centers most always have a board-certified physician on-site.

Now, however, patients may not have have to choose between the two for much longer. If you need quick and efficient medical attention, there is a viable third alternative on the horizon, which blends the both ER and urgent care benefits. Known as “convenient care”, let’s take a look at some of the benefits it offers to patients.


Convenient Hours
You can never tell when a medical incident or episode will happen, but you can be sure it won’t happen at a convenient time. A major advantage to visiting “convenient care” will be the hours that they are open.

Shorter Wait Times
Once you arrive at an urgent care center, survey statistics from the Urgent Care Association of America in 2015 show the wait time to be seen as 30 minutes or less in 92% of urgent care centers. This is not usually the case with a hospital Emergency Room, where patients are seen depending on the severity of their illness/problems. And, according to Becker’s Hospital Review, since only 3% of urgent care patients need to visit an ER, the treatment at a “convenient care” center could help avoid unnecessary trips to the ER.

Wide Range of Available Treatments
If you’re fortunate enough not to have needed to visit an ER or urgent care clinic lately, you might be surprised at the wide range of services available. These aren’t just places for putting on bandages and cleaning up scrapes. Today, an ER and a walk-in urgent care both have the capability for advanced diagnostic and laboratory services. They can provide for patients with fractured bones or breathing difficulties, for example. The newly-conceived “convenient care” centers will be able to address most concerns, as well, all in one place.

To sum up, “convenient care” is a pioneering concept in medical care, combining Emergency Room and urgent care benefits. Since patients will no longer be faced with making a choice between and ER and an urgent care center, this provides a positive alternative to the current, traditional routes of treatment. Most of us would rather not think about sudden illnesses or accidents as we go about our everyday routines, but it’s a great relief to know that a new alternative to ERs and 24 hour urgent care locations is on the horizon, and will offer even better medical care for everyone.