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Urgent care centers won't have a problem with Affordable Care

07.13.2012

It stands to reason that if more people have medical insurance, more people will seek medical treatment. So it's a safe bet that urgent care centers will become busier in upcoming years.

According the Urgent Care Association of America, a typical urgent care center currently treats 342 patients a week. The UCAA makes the case that the centers have plenty of space, and will gain more as the industry continues to expand. The American Association of Urgent Care Medicine purports that 8,700 urgent care centers have been founded in the US, and new ones are popping up at a rate of 700 to 800 per year.

"With the potential increase in patients with medical coverage, it is even more important for patients to know their options, therefore, increasing the value and need for urgent care centers," according to a statement from the UCAA.

Earlier this week, a report conducted by a CBS affiliate based in South Carolina highlighted the extensive amount of time emergency room visitors sometimes spend waiting for treatment. The news source noted that the ailing enjoy lower costs and much shorter waits at urgent care centers. An operator for an urgent care center told the channel that anyone who arrives at his center generally gets in-and-out within an hour.

Though urgent care centers are closed at certain hours, unlike emergency rooms, the news source said they keep their hours as convenient as they can. Urgent care also provides a temporary solution to the shortage of primary care doctors. No appointments are necessary, so urgent care provides a solution for those times when your primary care physician's schedule is too booked to see you.

Categories: Emergency medicine Urgent Care Services