If you are experiencing severe bleeding or pain, difficulty breathing, symptoms of a heart attack or stroke, or another serious injury or illness, it’s important to go to an emergency room (ER) or call 911.
However, a walk in clinic will be your best option for most everything else due to shorter wait times, convenience, and affordability.
Knowing the differences between walk in clinics and an emergency room and the top reasons to go to a walk in clinic can help you decide where you need to go if you’re seeking care.
In most cases, a walk in clinic can provide all the care you need. Here are some of the top reasons to visit your local walk in clinic:
Walk in clinics treat minor or simple medical issues such as:
Some walk in clinics may also provide additional services such as COVID-19 testing, physicals, occupational medicine solutions, or virtual telehealth appointments, allowing you to talk to a doctor from the comfort of your home.
The average cost for an emergency room visit is around $1,150, though depending on what you need while there, the cost could be even more. walk in clinics are usually much more affordable, charging you a fraction of what you’d pay for the same or similar services at an ER. And, if you have health insurance coverage, you may pay even less.
While some illnesses or injuries require you to go to the emergency room, you’ll have a much shorter wait at a walk in clinic if you have a minor or simple problem. In fact, many walk in clinics work to get their patients seen, treated, and on their way home in 60 minutes or less.
Many walk in clinics are open when a regular doctor’s office isn’t, including evenings, weekends, and even holidays. And because walk in clinics see patients on a first-come, first-served basis, you do not need an appointment to be seen.
Walk in clinics are also available in your neighborhood, so you have access to fast and affordable care when and where you need it. Many walk in clinics are located next to or near pharmacies, making filling prescriptions a quick and easy process.
Walk in clinics offer convenient care for relatively minor illnesses and injuries, at a fraction of the cost of an emergency room visit. They are great options when you need to be seen quickly or during times when regular doctors’ offices aren’t open.