Urgent care centers are very popular these days because of the fast and efficient medical services that they are offering. Many people go to them instead of waiting in line in an emergency room at the hospital, which could take forever especially if the ER is understaffed.
In Los Angeles, there are various urgent care facility that you can visit if you need immediate care.
Before you visit a certain urgent care facility in Los Angeles, you should take note of the following:
They are not replacements for ER services
Some people get confused when it comes to the differences between an urgent care unit and an emergency room. The latter caters to more serious problems such as heart attack and other major traumas. On the other hand, the former deals with less serious medical issues.
So, before you decide to go to an urgent care facility in Los Angeles, you should first determine your health issue. Is it something that is life threatening? If so, then you need to go to the ER, or better yet, you need to call 911 as soon as possible. But if your health condition is not that bad, then you can go to the nearest urgent care unit.
Wait time is shorter than that of the ER
Emergency rooms may be crowded, it all depends on the number of patients versus the number of available doctors and nurses. In general, the wait time in an urgent care facility is shorter than that of the ER. You can expect that there will be times when you will have to wait for some time, especially if there are other patients in the unit. But then again, the wait time is not as long as when you go to an ER.
Most urgent care centers in Los Angeles make sure that they have enough staff on duty so they can cater to all the needs of the patients that have set up an appointment. They also have standbys as they anticipate the number of walk-in patients.
Types of services may vary
Not all the urgent care facilities that you can find in Los Angeles are offering the same type of services. Some of them have their own laboratory rooms as well as x-ray rooms, while the others do not have. So, it is essential that you check out the services offered before you head to a certain location.