Monday, May 22, 2017

Why Mobile Alabama Urgent Care May Be More Appropriate Than The Emergency Room

By Diane Scott


The emergency room is the first choice for many people who get sick or hurt no matter how serious the situation is. They don't even consider the possibility that there might be someplace else where the treatment is equally as good as that found in the emergency room. They might be surprised to learn the waiting room is usually not as full and the bill is not as high in a Mobile Alabama urgent care clinic. This is the best place for patients experiencing non-life threatening conditions.

The emergency room is the appropriate place for those who fear they are having a heart attack or stroke, are bleeding uncontrollably or have lost consciousness. Drug overdoses and injuries from automobile accidents require emergency room attention. Less dire conditions are probably better addressed by professionals in the high priority clinics found throughout the country. When someone calls 911 unnecessarily, it diverts critical personnel and equipment that might needed elsewhere.

Aches, pains, flu and cold symptoms do not rise to the level of critical need. People with these types of symptoms should take advantage of the high priority walk-in clinics that are found in most cities and towns. Anyone who requires vaccinations, flu or tetanus shots can get them at these facilities. When an individual's personal physician is not available, after normal business hours for example, a high priority clinic can evaluate non-critical problems.

High priority facilities are not the only clinics available for individuals who can't get in to see a personal physician or don't want to wait in the emergency room. People who need to have their blood pressure and heart rate checked regularly or need vaccinations for school can get these kinds of services in retail facilities commonly located in pharmacies, big box stores, and malls. They will not have physicians on staff, but most have nurse practitioners and certified nursing aides.

Parents of young children may be able to choose to visit a pediatric high priority clinic that is staffed with pediatricians and pediatric nurses. Most of these establishments only see children up to the age of sixteen or so. Other clinics cater only to adults, and still others will accept people of all ages.

Many people are concerned that if they go to one of these clinics they will be treated by someone other than a medical physician. These concerns are unfounded because high priority centers are staffed with doctors, nurses, nurse practitioners, and assistants. Many of the facilities have full service labs on the premises so there are certified lab technicians on the staff as well.

Most of these types of facilities accept insurance, and almost all of them accept Medicare and Medicaid patients. The people who come in are expected to pay in full at the time of treatment. Those with insurance may have to pay a deductible. Whether or not the visit is covered will depend on the type of policy the patient has.

The purpose of emergency rooms is to take care of patients who are suffering from traumatic injuries and life threatening conditions. It is not designed for those that could be better served at a high priority clinic. Knowing the difference could save a life.




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