When you need non-emergency care, it is sometimes tricky to know where to go. Emergency rooms are expensive and time-consuming, as well as unnecessary unless it is a life-threatening emergency. Urgent care clinics are faster than emergency rooms and offer non-life-threatening immediate care as well as non-emergency services. And if your non-emergency care is simple enough, a urgent care center may be the best solution for you. All that being said, whatever your non-emergency situation is, an urgent care or retail health clinic will be able to provide the service you need, and will almost always be faster and less expensive than an emergency room visit.
Urgent Care vs Retail Health Clinic
It is always recommended to schedule appointments with your doctor, as he/she will know your situation and medications better than other medical professionals. But if your doctor is unavailable, urgent care and retail health clinics are great options for non-life-threatening scenarios.
You can find non-emergency clinics in some stores and pharmacies run by medical professionals. A very common practice for these clinics is flu shots or other vaccines for a reduced charge. The main difference between retail health clinics and urgent care facilities is the latter is required to have a board-certified physician while the former is usually staffed with physician assistants and nurses. Both are designed for fast and easy medical care, but urgent care facilities offer a larger range of services as well as immediate care due to a higher trained staff and greater equipped medical space.
In most cases, visits to urgent care or health clinics will be less expensive than a visit to an emergency room, but you should still check to see what your insurance plan covers with specific locations.
Marque Medical Non-Emergency Care
If you are located in Southern California, Marque Medical offers extensive non-emergency services that may be what you are needing. Some services we can help treat or provide are:
- Cold and Flu
- Skin problems
- Physicals and DOT Physicals
- Confidential Lab testing
- B12 shots
- Vaccinations and Immunizations
- Cardio Health
- Sports and Exercise Medicine
- Physical Therapy
- IV Hydration Therapy
- SmartBeat Screening
Most of these services are not offered at retail health clinics and can be performed on the same day. While Marque Medical urgent care specializes in walk-ins, we recommend calling to set up an appointment for non-emergency services. This helps us make sure we have all the supplies in stock needed to provide the safest and easiest care. While it is recommended, it is still not required and our staff will still be able to care for your needs whether or not you have a set appointment.