What Does Urgent Care Treat?

Urgent care is an excellent alternative to your primary care doctor when you need immediate care. It offers easy and convenient access to healthcare professionals for non-life-threatening conditions. Urgent care also features appointments that meet your needs and your busy schedule—including day, evening, night, and sometimes overnight appointments. 

In this article, we’ll discuss the benefits of urgent care, what types of conditions and symptoms can be treated with urgent care, what types of procedures are available, whether urgent care has laboratory services, and whether urgent care takes insurance.

What Are the Benefits of Urgent Care?

There are many reasons to go to urgent care instead of your primary care doctor or an emergency room. The top one is convenience and little to no wait time. Many urgent care locations are open evenings, weekends, and holidays, and you don’t need an appointment to see a doctor—simply walk in. 

Urgent care facilities are typically staffed with physicians, physician assistants, nurse practitioners, and nurses, so you never have to be concerned about the quality of care you will receive. Many urgent care professionals have also worked in ERs and physicians’ offices, so they are well-equipped to treat common health conditions and minor emergencies. 

By choosing urgent care for minor, non-life-threatening conditions, you can also avoid a high ER bill for something that might turn out to be a minor injury or illness. Of course, if you’re experiencing a true emergency, you should call 911 or visit your local ER.

What Conditions Does Urgent Care Treat?

Urgent care providers treat many conditions. Some of the most common conditions treated at urgent care include: 

Minor Lacerations

Dropping something on your toe, cutting your finger, or stepping on a nail in the garden are all types of laceration injuries that urgent care can treat. They can even provide stitches or tetanus shots if needed. 

Suspected Broken Bones, Strains, or Sprains

Urgent care centers can perform X-rays to determine the extent of an injury, apply braces and splints, and prescribe over-the-counter pain medications. If the break is severe, the urgent care team can also refer you to an emergency room or suggest you follow up with your primary care physician who can provide a specialist recommendation for a serious break that requires more extensive care.

Diarrhea or Nausea

Diarrhea can cause life-threatening dehydration, so it’s important to get diagnosed and treated quickly. Urgent care centers can determine the cause of your nausea, diarrhea and abdominal pain, and provide an appropriate treatment plan. 

Minor Allergies Reactions

From itching, rashes, and hives to seasonal and minor food allergies, urgent care can provide a comprehensive treatment plan and lifestyle recommendations. In the case of recurring or seasonal allergies that aren’t responding to treatment, they may recommend you visit your primary care doctor for referral to a specialist. 

Coughing and Bronchitis

Coughing can indicate any number of medical conditions, including pneumonia or bronchitis. Urgent care providers have the skills and knowledge to treat coughing in patients of all ages. However, in the event you are having a severe asthma attack or breathing symptoms that are getting worse, you should call 911 or visit your local emergency room. 

Rashes and Insect Bites

Urgent care providers can determine the underlying cause of your skin rash and provide the proper treatment to help you find relief from the itching and swelling.

Flu-like Symptoms and Colds

Many respiratory illnesses have similar symptoms. Urgent care physicians can determine whether your symptoms are viral or bacterial in nature and provide a treatment plan that will help relieve your sneezing, fever, cough, and congestion. 

Sore throat, flu symptoms, and common cold-related issues are frequent urgent care conditions.

Vaginitis and UTI Infections

Urgent care clinics can diagnose and treat symptoms like vaginal discharge, itching, or burning, as well as bladder and UTI infections (urinary tract infections). They’ll provide the right medications and lifestyle recommendations to relieve discomfort and help you feel better quickly.

Do Urgent Care Centers Offer Laboratory Services?

In most instances, urgent care providers can offer many of the same types of laboratory services as your primary care physician to help ensure the proper diagnosis and treatment plan for your condition. Lab services may include: 

• Pregnancy tests
• Rapid flu tests and flu tests
• COVID-19 Antigen and Antibody Tests
• Urinalysis
• Fecal blood occult
• Strep tests
• Electrolyte testing
• PT / INR tests
• Blood tests such as complete blood counts, comprehensive and basic metabolic panels, and blood glucose
• Drug screenings and tests
• STD tests

What Procedures Are Available at Urgent Care?

Urgent care offers a number of procedures, including:

• X-rays
• Minor wound care, including stitches
• Injectable anti-emetics to slow vomiting
• Immunizations for RSV, the flu, COVID-19, shingles, and more
• Blood pressure check 
• Earwax removal
• STD testing
• IV Fluid Administration

This is a partial list of what urgent care can do, and not all of them offer the same urgent care treatments. If you have any questions about what your local center offers, call or visit its website for more information.

Difference Between Urgent Care and Emergency Room

Urgent care centers and emergency rooms serve different needs based on the severity of the medical issue or situation, which is why understanding the distinction between urgent care vs emergency room is vital. Urgent care walk-in clinics are ideal for non-life-threatening conditions such as minor injuries, infections, or illnesses like sprains or the flu, often offering shorter wait times and lower costs compared to the ER. On the other hand, the emergency room is designed for life-threatening situations such as chest pain, severe bleeding, or major trauma, where immediate, advanced care is necessary.

While both options are available after regular hours, ERs operate 24/7, whereas urgent care centers may have more limited hours. 

• Learn more: When to Go to Urgent Care vs. the ER

Urgent Care Services at AllCare

At AllCare, we understand that sometimes you can’t wait for an appointment with your primary care physician. We also know that not every injury or illness is life-threatening. In those cases, AllCare primary care is an excellent choice for receiving care. We make it easy to address your urgent medical needs with comprehensive physical and sports exams, testing, and treatments provided by our expert team. And our patient-centric approach ensures you receive quality care. With primary care physicians in the same facility, follow-up care is seamless and convenient. Schedule an appointment or walk-in at one of our urgent care centers today.