Urgent Care - Services, Requirements, and Providers

Urgent Care Services

These days urgent care services are playing a very crucial role in our lives because we can not predict what is going to happen next to us or to our loved ones, and since these services provide care to us at that moment that is why they are called urgent care services.

Before diving into a deep pool, learn about urgent care first.

What is Urgent Care?

Urgent Care is a service provided to those who have an illness that is serious and acute and has no immediate threat to life but requires treatment within 24 hours. These are not termed medical emergencies cause they do not pose any threat to life.

Here Emergency and Urgent have two different meanings; in an emergency situation, it poses threat to life and needs immediate medical aid, whereas in an urgent situation threat to life is not present but requires treatment within 24 hours.

Some of the Conditions where Urgent Care is Required

There are some non-life-threatening conditions where urgent care is required and those are -

• Broken bones and sprains
• Bronchitis
• Ear ache and infections
• Eye irritations
• Food poisoning
• Hives and rashes
• Kidney stones
• Mono
• Poison ivy
• Pneumonia
• Pediatric (ear ache, sore throat, cough, rashes)
• STDs
• Sinus infection
• Stomach flu, vomiting, and diarrhea
• Strep throat
• Urinary tract infection
• Vaginitis
• Wound repair

What are the services included under Urgent Care?

As we read earlier, urgent care services are required within 24 hours. In Texas Specialty Care, we have full coverage of services that requires urgent care and these services include the following treatments :

• Cold and flu treatment services :- Although cold and flu are common diseases sometimes it gets into serious form like a chronic disease that is not deadly but needs care on an urgent basis for early relief. Urgent care service providers treat patients’ symptoms and work on their immune systems.
• Stomach and ear infection treatment :- Due to drastic changes in our lifestyle we become prone to some common diseases like stomach aches and ear infections which can cause disturbance in our daily life. Hence, they have to be treated on an urgent basis.
• Treatment for minor injuries :- Minor injuries are those that are not life-threatening but if ignored can cause serious problems. These injuries occur either due to small mishaps or accidents. Injuries like small burns, minor cuts, minor lacerations, minor sprain, and minor fractures. These services provide proper monitoring with its practitioners.
• Sports physical :- Sport is both a good way to be fit and healthy but it is also a major factor for many injuries in kids like hairline fractures, arm fracture, etc. and nowadays, in schools children do participate in many sports programs or join teams of different sports, for that they need to be healthy and fit before participation. Urgent care services are beneficial in this case too.

Some more examples of services under urgent care :-

• Minor burn treatment.
• Strains, sprains, and fractures treatment.
• Stitching for cuts and wounds.
• Small accidents.
• Abscess treatment.
• Provide assistance to acute illness patients.
• Immunization for disease.
• Vaccination.
• COVID testing.
• Medical examinations and many more.

Who are Providers for Urgent Care Services?

Urgent Care providers offer cost-effective solutions or services to patients for minor medical emergencies and health issues. These urgent care providers treat all types of non-dangerous illnesses and injuries.

Urgent care providers who offer services are :-

• Physician (MD or DO) :- As a matter of concern for the eligibility of urgent care providers, they all are qualified and well-trained in their respective fields of urgent care services. Due to training, they are aware of the necessary background knowledge and educated enough to treat patients under urgent care. Some physicians are also certified to provide urgent care.
• Physician Assistant (PA) :- Educational eligibility of physician assistants is that they are trained on an average of 27 months of medical education and 2000 hours of clinical rotations for a master’s degree. PAs complete their training under a physician’s supervision. PAs perform diagnosis and also assist in the treatment of illness.
• Nurse Practitioner :- These nurses are registered and certified. Nurses undergo extensive addition and training to be qualified for a master’s doctoral practice degree, such as family nurse practitioner (FNP). Some of them are also trained to provide care, especially to women. Many of the nurses are also qualified to own complete autonomy in some states without a physician’s supervision.
• X-Ray Technician :- Whenever we get a broken arm, leg, or any other bone in our body we go to X-Ray centers to get a check-up. These X-ray-taking technicians are known as “radiologic technologists”. They are qualified professionals. These technicians perform X-rays, CT scans, bone density checks, and more.

The overall goal for urgent care services is to be friendly on pocket and effective on the disease.

Requirements of Urgent Care Center?

Urgent care requirements are the following :

• To open an urgent care center of our own requires a certification from a medical authority.
• The urgent care center should be open at least six days a week.
• Urgent care centers try to provide services for more than 4 hours at least a day.
• They should have all the equipment required to treat a patient.
• Since urgent care providers treat their patients on a priority basis, they must have a team of experts or specialists if they offer treatment for different illnesses and injuries.
• Urgent care centers are in growing demand these days mostly due to pandemics and our modern-day lifestyle, that is why they are also required to maintain proper hygiene to remove the possibility of an infection.

COVID and Urgent Care

Now we have stepped into the era of pandemics, this is something we should get prepared for, either by taking some necessary measurements as soon as possible or by finding a cure for all of this.

COVID is a global pandemic, it devastated mankind in every way possible. It is proved to be the most dangerous pandemic till this time.

COVID has been one of the reasons for the growing popularity of urgent care services. Urgent care centers have seen a 58% increase in visit volumes due to COVID-19-related episodic care. Urgent care providers were responsible for testing and vaccination.

Texas Specialty Clinic provides services to Covid-19-related care too. We take all the precautionary measures while treating our patients.

Amidst the Covid, urgent care provides these services :-

• Treatment of patients with various ailments
• Treat flu and cold
• Treat minor injuries
• Chronic conditions are also get treated

Urgent Care Treatment needed by Age - group

• Urgent care is mostly needed by people aged between 21-30 years. They cover 18% of the utilization of services alone.
• The next beneficiaries are in the age group of 41 to 50 years making 15.7% of usage.
• The age group between 23 to 30 years contributes 15.2%.

Though Urgent Care services are not like emergency services they create a large impact on the healthcare industry. The healthcare industry is booming, urgent care is one of the reasons too.

We at Texas Specialty Clinic help you with our range of services provided under urgent care. These services are given by certified and trained specialists or MDs who are assisted by nurses and caregivers. To book an appointment or for further information call us at (254) 324-7231. We are here to help you.