Visiting Urgent Care: 4 Dos And Don'ts

The popularity of urgent care facilities over emergency rooms is on the rise. It's easy to see why. Urgent care facilities are typically cheaper than visiting the emergency room, wait times are usually shorter, and the price of care is more readily available up front. Of course, any health care professional will tell you that if it's a matter of life or death, you should call 911 or visit an emergency room regardless. But for non-life-threatening illnesses or injuries, an urgent care facility is a great option. Here are four dos and don'ts for getting the most out of your urgent care visit.  

Don't Bother Calling Ahead

If you're trying to figure out wait times, a short phone call isn't a problem. However, what you shouldn't do is try to call the facility ahead of time to obtain a diagnosis over the phone. They will almost always ask you to come into the facility anyway. Save time and frustration by skipping the phone call and just making the visit.  

Don't Try to Refill Your Prescription

Most of the time when patients visit an urgent care facility and try to refill an ongoing prescription, they are denied. It may seem aggravating that a seemingly simple request can't be fulfilled, but it's a request that can be easily abused. Your ongoing care should always be taken care of by your long-term physician, a person who is familiar with your medical history and needs. If you don't have long-term care, you can get a referral from the doctor, physician's assistant, or nurse practitioner at the facility.  

Do Make Sure to Have Information Ready

If you or a loved one is injured or feeling ill, you'll want a diagnosis and treatment as quickly as possible. The best way to ensure that this happens is to have all of the information that your health care specialist will need, ready to go. That may be a list of the patient's current medications, allergies, and previous surgeries or treatments. It definitely means having an accurate list of all of the symptoms and issues, even things you might not think are relevant. The more accurate and detailed the information, the more accurate and detailed the diagnosis.  

Do Go if You Have the Flu

It's hard to know when you need to see a doctor. Sometimes you have an illness that will only continue to get worse, while other times it's a trifling cold that gets better in a few days. But if you're experiencing symptoms of the flu, especially fevers higher than 100 degrees, nausea, vomiting, or diarrhea, you should definitely visit an urgent care facility. The flu isn't something to shrug off. During the 2016-2017 season, over 600,000 people were hospitalized for influenza in the United States.

To learn more, contact a clinic like Walk -In Family Medicine Center.