Your insurance is surely covering a lot of conditions and injuries. You don’t have to worry about it, if something is treatable, the insurance will cover it. The real problem is to find out what clinic is covered by your insurance and what types of treatment in it too.
So, when you’re moving to a new neighborhood and you see a clinic near your block, don’t jump for joy just yet. You can’t be sure whether this clinic is suitable for your needs. To find out if the closest clinic to you is the best choice or you need to look further, first see if the requirements below can be met by the hospital that you’re interested in.
Compare the insurance plan
The first and most important is whether the clinic near you will be covered by your insurance. Sure, it’s great to have a walk-in clinic no matter the insurance if you have an emergency but remember that one treatment inside can cost you more than $1000. That’s why it’s better to find a place that is covered by insurance.
There are a lot of hospitals and medical centers today that are walk-in based and work 24/7. Just around the corner might be another just like the first one you saw with a much better health care plan that is covered by your insurance. That’s why it’s important to do a little clinic near me research and see what option you have in the area.
What type of clinic is it?
Maybe the closest clinic is covered by the insurance and it’s really close but doesn’t work 24/7, but just from 9 to 5. Maybe it is only an urgent care center and is not suitable for treating more serious injuries and conditions. You need to check all these things before an emergency really happens.
The best option is to walk in and ask the person on the front desk everything you need to know. The other option is to find them online and ask them questions through the internet or by telephone. If they don’t fit all the requirements you need, simply look for the next closest one. It’s important to have a clear list of hospitals near you that will be able to help you in every situation. Urgent care centers, ER clinics, dental practices, everything.
What is the difference between urgent care and ER center?
For those that are not aware of the difference between these two, here’s a little comparison. Both are walk-in centers that offer emergency help. They usually work 24/7 and are equipped to treat injuries and health conditions in every time of the day. The difference is that urgent care is not capable to treat life-threatening situations. This is a job for the doctors at the ER. They are trained for fast response for the most problematic issues.
Some of the life-threatening conditions would be fractures, severe bleeding, huge wounds, poisoning, fainting, heavy breathing and chest pain, loss of sight, depression, suicidal thoughts, etc. These are all things that need to be taken care of in the ER. The urgent care center won’t be able to do their best with problems like these.
In the urgent care center, you should go if there are serious problems that can’t wait until tomorrow, but you surely won’t die from. Things like high blood pressure, minor cuts that require stitching, broken fingers, asthma attacks, the flu, stomachache, and etc.
Should I trust the doctors?
Of course. Don’t believe that other hospitals have better doctors just because someone had a good or bad experience in one of them. Doctors are professionals and when it comes to a more serious situation, doctors make a Concilium, which means they advise each other and reach the best solution. You don’t have to be afraid of this. Read this publication for details around surgery in the US: https://www.qualityforum.org/Publications/2017/04/Surgery_2015-2017_Final_Report.aspx
Conclusion
It’s not about how good the walk-in clinic near you is, but whether that particular one is licensed to treat you using your insurance. It’s best to have that clinic in mind for any case, but you should also do thorough research of the area and find different kinds of practices and hospitals that are useful for different situations.
