Why An Omaha Walk In Clinic Can Be A Better Choice Than The Emergency Room

By Paul Wagner


Even normally healthy people get sick sometimes. Some of them panic and call an ambulance to take them straight to the emergency room. Others drive themselves to the hospital, and a few decide to call the doctor as soon as possible. While all of these options may be appropriate under certain circumstances, there are times when the best option in Nebraska is an Omaha walk in clinic.

Emergency rooms are places that should be handling only critical care issues. These are life threatening situations like heart attacks, accident, fire, and overdose emergencies. If you decide to go to the hospital because you are suffering from aches, pains, fever, or sore throat, your case will not be considered a priority by emergency room standards. If you had opted for an urgent care facility, you could be seen quickly and your symptoms evaluated promptly.

Going to the emergency room is your most expensive option. Even routine exams and tests for a minor injury or ailment can cost more than a thousand dollars. If you call an ambulance, and the EMTs treat you, you'll face a bill of several hundred dollars. Clinics are much smaller facilities than hospitals, and they can operate on a fraction of the overhead.

Another advantage you will find when you decide to go to a walk in facility is the convenience. These units are located in more and more pharmacies, malls, and big box stores. They may not be open twenty-four hours a day in some areas, but they do have extended evening hours. The parking is usually easier and the waiting time is negligible.

The individuals who use walk in clinics are not usually as ill as those who visit emergency rooms, so it doesn't take practitioners as long to see them. Patients can wait for hours in the hospital before a doctor or critical care nurse can get to them. In the end, the patients receive the same care they would have gotten in a clinic.

Although most hospitals are much more efficient than they used to be, they still require patients to fill out forms and answer series of questions that are inputted into a computer system. You may find yourself being directed from window to window until you have completed the paperwork. Clinics are smaller, less complicated businesses that don't require a mountain of paperwork.

If an emergency room doctor prescribes medication, you will have to find the hospital pharmacy and wait to get the prescription filled. At urgent care clinics, the pharmacy is right at your fingertips, and you will usually get faster service. You can always opt to get your medicine at your regular pharmacy however.

When people get sick or hurt, they sometimes panic. The first thought for many is that they need emergency treatment. This may not be the case. Urgent care facilities are appropriate alternatives for those with non-threatening injuries and illnesses. Using them instead of the emergency room can be quicker, cheaper, and just as effective.




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