Sudden health issues and injuries are a part of life. Everyone will, at one point, need quick medical care for non-life-threatening conditions – such as the common cold, an earache, or a sprained ankle.
Fortunately, there are healthcare centers that are conveniently located near you to address this kind of minor emergency, and they’re called urgent care centers. Urgent care clinics are staffed with physicians, nurses, and other medical personnel who specialize in the diagnosis and treatment of health conditions that are urgent but not life-threatening.
An urgent care clinic has the staff, tools, and equipment necessary to address various illnesses and injuries. And if it turns out that you need a specialist, an urgent care center can fast-track your appointment with the right doctor.
Not every unexpected health condition or injury requires an emergency room (ER) visit. Let’s talk about three of the top reasons to choose an urgent care center vs. an emergency room:
1. Little to No Wait Time
The best aspect of urgent care centers is their convenience, and this includes the short time it takes for you to be seen by a healthcare professional. An urgent care clinic is able to serve you within minutes rather than hours.
If you’ve ever been to an emergency room for something that’s not a life-threatening ailment, you know how long the wait times can get. Naturally, the ER doctors will address life-threatening conditions first before attending to patients whose conditions aren’t as severe. Emergency rooms have a triage system, which prioritizes the most dire cases first – so it may take a while before you’re seen if you “only” have a sprained ankle or a painful rash.
2. Affordable
An urgent care clinic visit will usually be much less expensive than an emergency room visit. You can save money on consultations, diagnostic exams, physicals, and other general services. Furthermore, urgent care centers have flexible payment plans, accept most types of health insurance, and usually also accept cash for those with no insurance.
3. Spacious Facility and Relaxing Atmosphere
One of the worst things about emergency rooms is that they are almost always overcrowded, and they are often very loud and abuzz with activity. Emergency room physicians must constantly attend to both major and minor injuries and illnesses.
And that is where urgent care centers fill the void. It’s no fault of ER doctors and staff that they cannot accommodate all patients in a timely manner or have plenty of room for everyone to feel comfortable – so in urgent care centers, the facilities are spacious, airy, calm, and relaxing. The doctors and medical staff do not act harried.
ER personnel are often performing lifesaving services, so naturally the atmosphere feels more stressful than it does at an urgent care facility. The physicians and medical staff of urgent care centers know their important role in healthcare, much of which is to relieve emergency rooms of nonemergency cases.
Urgent Care Center in Rochester, New York
It’s best to know the location of the urgent care center nearest you. For non-life-threatening medical emergencies here in the Rochester area, visit us at Cornerstone Urgent Care Center. We are conveniently located at the intersection of Chili Avenue and Chestnut Creek Road.
We are open seven days a week, including holidays. We accept walk-ins anytime – there is no need to call ahead of time.
If you have any questions, feel free to call our team at (585) 207-0088 or send us a message here. We look forward to seeing you here so you can get better quickly!
