At first glance, it may seem that urgent care facilities and walk-in clinics are similar. Well, they are identical in many aspects, but they also have several stark differences that affect the medical care that you receive. Here is a review of ten aspects that set walk-in clinics apart from urgent care facilities.
10 Medical Comparison Between- Urgent Care Vs Walk-in Clinics
- Cost
Cost is a significant determining factor that differentiates urgent care facilities from walk-in clinics. However, this is mostly determined by the underlying ailment.
Considering that urgent care facilities deal with more complex cases compared to walk-in clinics, then the medical services are typically more expensive. Those without medical insurance coverage feel the pinch of the cost – nevertheless, insurance firms may compel you to co-pay for medical services if they exceed the Pre-determined coverage.
- Time
Waiting periods also vary in walk-in clinics and urgent care facilities. Urgent care facilities give priority to patients suffering from critical medical conditions. For instance, someone suffering from profuse bleeding would be treated before another person suffering from a broken arm. Walk-in clinics, on the other hand, operate solely on a first-come-first-served basis. As such, you have to wait in line regardless of the intensity of your ailment.
Typically, urgent care facilities operate faster compared to walk-in clinics as their essence is quick medical services provision.
- Capability
One of the most critical factors that set urgent care facilities apart from walk-in clinics is their medical capabilities. Typically, urgent care facilities are better suited to tackle complex medical problems when compared to walk-in clinics.
Walk-in clinics are mostly suited for handling common and moderate medical conditions such as cold and flu. To this end, complex medical conditions are usually referred to necessary medical facilities or the ER.
- Equipment
As explained, urgent care facilities are more capable when compared to walk-in clinics. One of the reasons behind this is their equipment.
Urgent care facilities are fitted with better medical equipment compared to walk-in clinics. These may include X-Ray machines, lab testing facilities, and many other conventional equipments. That said, some private walk-in clinics are also investing heavily in medical equipment in a bid to improve service provision and their customers’ experience. Overall, however, Emergency Room centers boast of the best medical equipment.
- Operating Periods
The essence of urgent care facilities is that they provide immediate medical care when needed. In fact, they are seen as the go-to medical facilities during off-hours – mostly at night and during the weekends. To this end, they operate round-the-clock, and most are open throughout the week.
Walk-in clinics, on the other hand, operate much like most other businesses. They operate during the regular business hours and close at night and during the weekends.
- Insurance Coverage
It is important to note that you don’t have to be insured to be treated either at an urgent care facility or a walk-in clinic – as long as you can pay for the services, all means of payment (essentially out-of-pocket) are accepted.
That said, walk-in clinics are usually suited for patients without insurance coverage. It is because they are cheaper than urgent care facilities. The former, on the other hand, often require insurance coverage as their services may be expensive depending on the underlying ailment. In fact, some urgent care facilities compel all clients to be insured.
- Numeracy
Numeracy, in this case, refers to the number of urgent-care facilities compared to walk-in clinics. In this aspect, walk-in clinics have the upper hand as they outnumber urgent care facilities by far – you will find them almost everywhere, including in malls. It is because they are easier to set up and are in high demand as most people are often plagued by common ailments that wouldn’t necessarily need a visit to urgent care facilities.
There are thousands of urgent care facilities around the U.S., but they are spaced out and mostly stand alone or are affiliated with hospitals.
- Staffing
As mentioned, walk-in clinics are better suited for common ailments while urgent care facilities are capable of providing advanced medical care. To this end, the latter is staffed with more physicians and nurses compared to the former. In fact, many walk-in clinics are mostly staffed with nurses and one or two physicians to oversee their activities. Urgent-care facilities, on the other hand, are staffed with specialized physicians to handle a wide range of ailments.
- Payment Plans
It is important to note that although walk-in clinics accept most major insurance coverage, they may have reservations with individual insurers. Urgent care facilities, however, accept almost all certified insurances policies and liaise with insurance companies to clear payments.
Additionally, urgent care facilities have plans in place to help patients meet their medical expenses in cases they are not insured or under-insured – walk-in clinics do not have such plans.
- Regulation
Urgent care facilities are better regulated than walk-in clinics as their services are potentially life-saving. However, both are governed by state law and are required to meet all the set medical standards.
