4 Urgent Care Myths You Need to Stop Believing - Legacy ER

​There are a number of myths that surround 24 hour urgent care locations. While many of these myths are harmless, they do contribute to the over dependence and overcrowding of emergency rooms, since as many as 70% of visits to the emergency room by those with consumer-sponsored insurance coverage are non-emergency conditions, things that could easily be treated in an urgent care clinic. 

In order to help ease this unnecessary burden and to increase awareness, we have written this blog to help bust some of these pervasive myths. Let’s take a closer look at some popular urgent care myths:

1. Urgent Cares are Poorly Equipped
   Because urgent care centers are often located in convenient locations, even including shopping centers, there is a belief that they cannot be properly furnished facilities. In actuality, they have much of the same equipment and non-emergency services as a hospital or any other doctors office.
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2. Urgent Care Facilities Are Only For Pressing Medical Needs
   While urgent care facilities are designed to be able to handle a small medical crisis like the flu or other sudden illnesses, they can also offer many of the same important functions as a doctor’s office. That means you can turn to an urgent care facility for your women’s health care and pediatric care needs.
3. Urgent Care Offers Less Quality
   This is one of the most harmful and more unwarranted myths on this list. There is a view that the doctors and nurses working in urgent care are less qualified than those in private practice. That couldn’t be further from the truth. The doctors working in the urgent care facility must pass the same rigid qualifications to be doctors.
4. Urgent Care Centers Don’t Take Appointments
   The vast majority of people who visit a 24 hour urgent care location are walk-ins who aren’t able to see their regular doctor. That being said, many urgent care centers will offer same day appointments. So if you are feeling ill in the morning, you don’t have to wait in line when you visit the clinic in the evening.

The myths and misconceptions surrounding urgent care facilities are many and damaging. Hopefully, this guide has helped you understand these important businesses more clearly.