Can You Make an Appointment at Urgent Care?

Published Jul 30, 2018

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Updated Aug 26, 2024

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Est. reading time: 5 minutes

Key points

  • Urgent care centers offer immediate medical attention for non-life-threatening conditions.
  • Booking an appointment at an urgent care center can significantly reduce wait times.
  • Urgent care facilities are a cheaper alternative to emergency rooms, particularly for uninsured or underinsured individuals.
  • SolvHealth offers a platform to book urgent care appointments, manage insurance details, and reduce stress.
  • Despite walk-in urgent care visits lasting anywhere between 15 minutes to 2 hours, they are still faster and more affordable than emergency room visits. Using Solv to book your urgent care visit online can save time and ensure quality care.
Can You Make an Appointment at Urgent Care?

When Should You Visit Urgent Care?

Urgent care facilities serve as a convenient alternative to emergency rooms for non-life-threatening medical issues that require immediate attention. They are also a great choice for when you are not able to wait for an appointment with your primary care doctor. Understanding when to visit urgent care can help you receive timely treatment while alleviating the burden on emergency services. Here are some common situations that warrant a visit to urgent care:

Flu, Cold, Sore Throat, Cough, Fever

If you're experiencing symptoms of the flu or a cold, like a persistent cough, sore throat, or high fever that are affecting your daily activities, urgent care can provide a quick assessment and treatment options, such as medications to alleviate symptoms or tests to rule out more serious conditions.

Persistent Eye Discomfort

Eye issues such as redness, irritation, or sudden vision changes can be concerning. Urgent care can help diagnose and treat conditions like conjunctivitis or foreign objects in the eye, ensuring you receive the appropriate care without long waits.

Sprains and Strains

Whether from sports injuries or accidents, sprains and strains can be painful and limit mobility. Urgent care can evaluate the injury, provide pain relief, and recommend a treatment plan, including possible imaging if necessary.

Moderate Breathing Difficulties

If you're experiencing moderate shortness of breath, wheezing, or other respiratory issues that are not severe enough for the emergency room, urgent care can offer treatments such as nebulizers or medications to help manage your symptoms.

Cuts That Don’t Involve Much Blood but Might Need Stitches

Minor cuts and lacerations that may require stitches or glue can be treated effectively at urgent care. Staff can clean the wound and provide proper closure to reduce the risk of infection and promote healing.

Nausea, Digestive Issues

If you're dealing with persistent nausea, vomiting, or diarrhea that isn't severe enough to require hospitalization, urgent care can help assess your condition, provide hydration, and recommend treatments for relief.

Rashes or Itchiness

Skin irritations, rashes, or allergic reactions can be uncomfortable and concerning. Urgent care can help diagnose the cause of the rash and provide treatments such as topical medications or antihistamines.

Ear Pain or Discomfort

Ear infections or blockages can lead to significant discomfort. Urgent care can evaluate your symptoms, provide pain relief, and prescribe antibiotics if an infection is present.

Severe Muscle or Joint Aches

If you're experiencing significant pain in your muscles or joints due to an injury or overexertion, urgent care can provide pain management and assess whether further treatment or imaging is needed.

You Lack Health Insurance or Are Underinsured

For individuals without health insurance or those who are underinsured, urgent care centers often provide a more affordable alternative for immediate medical needs compared to emergency rooms, making healthcare more accessible.

Visiting urgent care for these conditions can ensure you receive timely and appropriate care, helping you get back to your daily life more quickly.

Benefits of Booking Online with Solv:

Emergencies happen and sometimes you need care fast. At Solv, we believe that you should be able to get last-minute, quality care without the wait. When you use Solv to make a same-day urgent care appointment, you’ll be seen even faster.

Less time spent waiting and knowing that you’re getting quality and affordable care? It doesn’t get much better than that! Here are the biggest benefits of booking with SolvHealth:

You can book an appointment 24/7

Let’s face it: going to urgent care is stressful. But you can cut down on the amount of additional stress you have to deal with by knowing exactly when you’ll be seen by a doctor. Less stress can also mean better health, according to some doctors.

You can create an account

Your Solv account holds all the important information you and your family need and makes it easy to book appointments for all your family members. After your first visit, re-book the same urgent care center in just a couple of clicks.

You can add and manage your insurance

Take a photo of your insurance card with your smartphone, have our system seamlessly transcribe it, and transmit your policy details to the urgent care clinic. Once it is in there for you and your family, you don't have to mess with it for your next visit, saving you time and hassle.

For more information on how to make the most of your visit to urgent care, check out our guide for urgent care appointments.

FAQs

Is it necessary to make an appointment for urgent care?

No, it is not necessary as urgent care clinics accept walk-in patients, but booking an appointment can save you a lot of time.

What types of conditions can be treated at an urgent care center?

Urgent care centers can treat a range of non-life-threatening conditions such as flu, sprains, moderate breathing difficulties, minor cuts, digestive issues, skin irritations, ear discomfort, and severe muscle aches.

Can I go to an urgent care center if I don't have health insurance?

Yes, urgent care centers often provide a more affordable alternative for immediate medical needs compared to emergency rooms, making healthcare more accessible.

How can I book an appointment at an urgent care center?

You can book an appointment at an urgent care center using platforms like SolvHealth, which allow you to book appointments 24/7, manage your insurance details, and reduce wait times.

What is the average wait time at urgent care centers for patients with appointments?

The average wait time for patients who book an appointment is under 8 minutes.

Dr. Rob Rohatsch, MD, is a Board-Certified Emergency Medicine physician and urgent care executive. He earned his MD from Jefferson Medical College, currently serves on multiple boards and is Solv’s Chief Medical Officer.

How we reviewed this article

Medically reviewed

View this article’s sources and history, and read more about Solv’s Content Mission Statement, editorial process, and editorial team.

History

Solv’s team of medical writers and experts review and update our articles when new information becomes available.

  • July 30 2018

    Written by Solv Editorial Team

    Medically reviewed by: Dr. Rob Rohatsch, MD

  • August 26 2024

    Written by Solv Editorial Team

Solv’s team of medical writers and experts review and update our articles when new information becomes available.

  • July 30 2018

    Written by Solv Editorial Team

    Medically reviewed by: Dr. Rob Rohatsch, MD

  • August 26 2024

    Written by Solv Editorial Team

Topics in this article

Primary CareCold And FluInjuriesHealthcare CostsHealth InsuranceUrgent Care

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