Medical emergencies can happen anytime, anywhere. While serious injuries or illnesses warrant going to the ER immediately, some less severe conditions are best treated at a NY Urgent Care Clinic. As the name suggests, urgent care clinic in NYC is a center that delivers quick and affordable healthcare services without needing a prior appointment for all minor, non-life-threatening injuries and illnesses.
Urgent Care Clinics in Manhattan are primarily introduced for the non-insured, underinsured, or anyone needing immediate medical assistance during the day. As a result, these centers have helped bridge the wide gap between time-consuming primary healthcare providers and expensive hospital visits. Although seeing urgent care doctors in New York may cost you a bit, especially if you’re uninsured, it would be a fraction of the cost of an hour’s stay at the ER. Moreover, the quick services with the shortest waiting times, in addition to the no-appointment-needed clause, have made these centers a popular choice among the general public.
Therefore, if you’re considering availing of the services of an urgent care clinic in New York City but are confused with the magnitude of urgent care centers cropping up, use the checklist of the following questions to choose the best clinic in Manhattan:
Are they Reliable Clinics in the Community?
When searching for an urgent care clinic in NYC, it only makes sense to find one that is nearest to your place of residence for easy access. Hence, learn as much as possible about the center’s reputation. For the same, browse through the website and read patients’ testimonials and team credentials about the clinic to get clarity on the quality of services provided.
Furthermore, ensure the clinic is accredited with the Urgent Care Association of America. If you’re doubtful, feel free to contact the staff and get a confirmation. This is paramount and reflects the standard of services assured at every visit, especially in today’s scenario with the Covid-19 crisis still looming over us all, so caution is necessary.
What Services Do they Offer?
In order to get qualify for the license of operation by the Urgent Care Association of America, a NY urgent care clinic must offer a list of services for the convenience and easy treatment of all patients that visit them. Therefore, visit the clinic’s website and read through all the services they provide, not just the conditions they treat. For example, every urgent care must have a fully-equipped diagnostic center for X-rays and a lab for blood draws, vaccinations, etc. Moreover, some centers also house a pharmacy so you can revisit for a follow-up and get your prescription refilled if you are traveling.
Additionally, the services to look for in a quality urgent care center are annual physicals; screenings for various conditions such as cholesterol, diabetes, heart ailments, and also for pregnancy or UTIs; immigration, pre-employment, sports, or school physicals; and blood pressure, thyroid screenings.
Know Who Will be Seeing you?
The urgent care team handles various responsibilities to provide timely and compassionate care to each patient. Hence, if you have time to book an appointment, understand that your visit will differ from your regular experience with your primary care physician. People normally visit their PCP for annual physicals; however, urgent care doctors cater to emergencies to various types and degrees. Therefore, the chances are that if your condition is not that severe, you may not even need to see the doctor.
An urgent care clinic team comprises senior nurse practitioners, physician assistants, X-ray and lab technicians, and doctors. Depending on the size of the clinic and the time of your visit, one may see a general physician for common conditions as pediatricians and gynecologists are usually on rotation depending on the visits and appointments.
How Much Will it Cost you?
One of the most important questions to clarify before visiting a healthcare provider is how much will it cost you? Many people also mistakenly go to an Emergency Room for a common condition that can be easily treated at an urgent care clinic in NY and cost you way less than the hospital visit. Hence, know the difference and do your research well in advance to avoid confusion and unnecessary expenses in an emergency. The first thing is to check if the urgent care near you in Manhattan accepts your insurance. This will clarify what your copay for a visit will be. While most services at the Walk-In Clinic of NYC cost anywhere between $90-$200, knowing what exactly your visit will cost is a great stress-reliever.
Will they Directly Communicate With your PCP?
On reflecting back at the role of urgent care as a bridge between emergency medical assistance and the primary care physician, it’s important to check the center’s protocol on correspondence with their patients’ PCPs. Not only is it vital for your doctor to stay informed about any unforeseen symptoms or diagnoses conducted in their absence but it also saves time and money for you as your primary care provider will have all your recent test results, therefore, leaving no room for confusion, redundancies, or repeating same tests.
Once you get a confirmation on the same, ask where you need to go for a follow-up – your primary care provider or the urgent care, where you received treatment for this one time? The answer may vary for everyone depending on if they’re undergoing treatment or not; nonetheless, it’s crucial that you know what to do if the symptoms return or you don’t feel well after the treatment.
What is the Best Time to Visit?
Although it’s been established that urgent care clinics in NYC accommodate same-day checkups, have a short waiting time for everyone, and also welcome anyone without prior appointment, their operating hours are not the same as an ER. Again, it’s an in-between of an ER and your GP’s clinic. This means that while they have flexible operational days (many are open all week), their schedules are usually 9 to 5, with different timings on the weekends. Thus, it’s best to know ahead than knock at a locked door. So, schedule your visit when the urgent care doctors are available, as listed on the website, with exceptions for a medical emergency.
Medical emergencies have a habit of rendering one confused and requiring immediate action to prevent further complications. Hence, keeping yourself well-informed of the available options is the best preparation one can do. Urgent care is a great source of getting affordable medical services with the lowest waiting times. Thus, visit the Walk-In Clinic of NYC for any non-life-threatening injury or illness and get the highest-quality medical assistance with the most compassionate and skilled team of medical professionals. Book an appointment via our website or walk in directly to our state-of-the-art facility and get proper treatment promptly!
