Urgent Medical Care Center

Welcome to Whole Health Urgent Medical Care Center

Our state of the art Urgent Care Medical Center located on the campus of Whole Health is a trusted and convenient alternative to going to the hospital. Our center is fully equipped to care for most urgent care situations.

Having access to a local urgent care medical center is an absolute necessity in our society. Our Delray Beach urgent care center provides the best quality of care by experienced physicians and providers without the long waiting experienced in emergency rooms. Every stage of care in the emergency room takes long lengths of time; triage (being assessed), waiting to be taken to a room, waiting for the nurse to take vitals and history, waiting for the Doctor to come in, waiting hours for test results, waiting for medication from hospital pharmacy, waiting for insurance verification employee, waiting to be seen by the Doctor again, and finally waiting to be discharged.

At our center the average patient is seen and discharged within 30 minutes and the cost of service is much less than you pay at the emergency room.

No appointment is necessary.

Urgent Care Services

General Illness

• Flu, Coughs, Colds, Sore Throat
• Allergic Reactions
• Sinus Infection
• Ear Ache, Dizziness
• Acute Pain
• Urinary Tract Infections
• Diabetic Issues
• Dehydration
• Asthma & Allergies
• Respiratory
• Bronchitis/Pneumonia
• Medical Evaluations
• PIP Auto Accidents
• Workmen’s Comp

Minor Injuries/Sports Injuries

• Sprains & Strains
• Dislocations
• Break & Fractures
• Cuts, Lacerations
• Wounds and Burns
• Stitches & Minor Surgery
• Auto Accidents

Testing

• In House Lab and Blood Testing (immediate results)
• Pre-Employment
• EKG’s/Diagnostic Ultrasound (on site)

Wellness and Preventive Care

• Women’s Health (PAP, STD’s, Pregnancy)
• Flu Shots
• Immunizations & Vaccinations
• School, Sports, Camp, and General Physicals
• Pediatrics
• Confidential HIV Testing

Urgent Medical Care Center Hours

• Fast & Affordable Walk-In Service
• No Appointment Necessary
• Typical Visits Last 30 Minutes
• Conveniently Located Delray Beach, FL
• Adults & Children Welcome
• Licensed Doctors or Providers Always On-Site
• We Work With All Major Insurance Plans
• Discounted Self-Pay Rates
• Certified & Accredited

What is Urgent Care?

Before urgent care, there was your doctor’s office and the emergency room. Fortunately, there is now room for somewhere in between.

An urgent care center is a place where you can receive care services quickly and in a less-costly manner when compared to the emergency room. 

Urgent Care vs. Emergency Room vs. Walk-In Clinic

Before examining specific services offered at each facility, first consider a general definition of each service type:

Walk-In Clinics

Walk-in clinics provide the least acute care of the three options.¹ Sometimes, these clinics are often called “retail clinics” because they are on-site at many drugstores and retail sites. These facilities are not usually equipped with imaging or blood drawing capabilities. They are intended for treatment of minor medical conditions, which include earaches, coughs, colds, and some mild rashes.

Emergency Rooms

Emergency rooms are for medical emergencies. They are usually at hospital facilities and are equipped with multiple methods for diagnosis of severe illnesses. A person should seek care at an emergency room when they have a severe or potentially life-threatening injury or illness.¹ Examples of these include a heart attack, stroke, or trauma, such as a car accident.

Urgent Care Clinics

Urgent care clinics provide care services for mild to moderate medical conditions. They often have equipment capabilities, such as X-ray imaging, electrocardiogram (EKG) testing, and some blood testing capabilities. They can provide care for illnesses and injuries that warrant care received within 24 hours.¹ They are often an alternative to the emergency room for those who can’t see their doctor immediately.

When to Dial 911 and Seek Emergency Care

While urgent care centers can provide a wide variety of symptoms, there are some times when it is simply safer and necessary to dial 911 to seek medical help.
Examples include: ⁴

After an injury to the neck or spine that has left the person unable to move

After inhaling smoke or poisonous gases

After witnessing a seizure that lasted longer than three minutes

Broken bone where the bone is through the skin

Chest pain or pressure

Coughing up blood

Fever greater than 101.5 degrees Fahrenheit and a stiff neck

Having suicidal thoughts

Heavy bleeding that won’t stop with pressure

Severe allergic reaction where you cannot breathe and have hives

Sudden weakness or facial drooping on one side of your body

Throwing up blood

Unusual or severe headache that came on suddenly

If you were to seek treatment at an urgent care for these or other severe injuries and symptoms, they would transfer you to an emergency room. This can potentially delay much-needed care. Seeking emergency attention is best in these situations.

When to go to Urgent Care?

Urgent care is meant to be a convenient, lower-cost alternative to the emergency room when you need medical attention yet cannot get an appointment or see your doctor.⁴ Often, urgent care centers will stay open later than regular doctor’s office hours, which is helpful if you start feeling ill or experience a mild medical problem in the evening.

Urgent care centers can treat most conditions that are mild to moderate. Doctors treat severe conditions at an emergency room.

Cost

Simply put, healthcare is expensive. Rising costs for medications, medical services, equipment, and more have made receiving healthcare a significant cost, even when you have insurance. Fortunately, urgent care can often be a more cost-effective alternative (when appropriate) to emergency room treatments. The following are some cost comparisons of receiving care in an urgent care facility versus an emergency room.

Researchers published a study in the journal “PLOS ONE” that listed the average costs of emergency department care for 10 of the most common reasons a person may go to an emergency room.² While the costs depended upon whether a person has private insurance, Medicare/Medicaid, or no insurance, the average results for certain conditions was as follows:

Upper Respiratory Infection: $740

Kidney Stone: $3,437

Wounds: Roughly $1,000

The researchers found the average charge of all the top 10 most-common conditions people seek emergency care for was $1,233.

As a general rule, the costs for urgent care treatment are usually about one-third that of a visit to the emergency room. According to the website Debt.org, the following are some differences in cost of an emergency room versus urgent care for certain medical conditions:

Allergies
Urgent Care: $97
Emergency Room: $345

Sore Throat
Urgent Care: $94
Emergency Room: $525

Urinary Tract Infection
Urgent Care: $112
Emergency Room: $665

These cost-savings are extremely beneficial when you have a medical condition that does not necessarily warrant emergency care.

Trends in Urgent Care Services

As the number of primary care physicians in the United States decreases and those in the younger generations are busier than ever, researchers have observed several medical trends, namely the amount of people in the “Millennial” generation seeking care at a primary care physician has decreased. According to the International Business Times,” the following are the number of people by care service and generation who seek care:⁵

Primary Care
Physician

Millennials: 60%
Baby Boomers: 80%
Seniors: 85%

Acute Care
Clinics

Millennials: 25%
Baby Boomers: 15%
Seniors: 10%

Retail (Walk-In)
Clinics

Millennials: 35%
Baby Boomers: 35%
Seniors: 15%

Younger generations cite considerations such as spending less time and experiencing greater convenience in seeking care at an urgent care facility or walk-in clinic as compared to a doctor’s office. ⁵  While doctor’s offices are still vital to providing consistent, high-quality healthcare, younger generations are using urgent care centers for acute care needs.

What to Expect

When you go to an urgent care center, there are a few considerations that may make your trip go as smoothly as possible. First, it’s important to bring key items of identification with you. These include your driver’s license and health insurance card, if you have insurance. You may also wish to bring the name and phone number of your general practitioner in case you would like your medical records from your visit sent to them.

It’s also a good idea to keep a list of your home medications with you. This includes not only prescription medications, but also herbs and supplements you may take. In addition, you may wish to bring a list of any relevant health history you have. This includes surgical procedures you have undergone as well as a listing of chronic health conditions, such as diabetes, high blood pressure, or chronic obstructive pulmonary disorder (COPD). You can review this information with your healthcare provider to ensure they don’t prescribe medications to you that would interfere with medicines you’re already taking.

The Check-In Process

The check-in process at an urgent care center is usually fairly streamlined. You will go to the front desk and tell the receptionist you are there to be seen. They will hand you paperwork to fill out regarding your current health concerns, health history, and billing information.

If you are ill with a potentially contagious medical condition, you may wish to wear a provided mask to protect others who are there for illnesses that aren’t contagious.

After the receptionist processes your information, you will be called to a separate area so a nurse or medical assistant can take your vital signs as well as measure your height and weight. Examples of vital signs include your blood pressure, heart rate, and oxygen saturation.

The healthcare professional may also ask you further questions about your health history.

These include information about the symptoms that brought you to the urgent care facility in the first place. 

It’s a good idea to have some of this information in mind. Examples include:

When you first noticed your symptoms

What makes your symptoms worse

What makes them better

What at-home treatments have you attempted, and what were the results

Seeing A Doctor

After your vital signs and symptoms are recorded, you will see the doctor. Depending upon why you are seeking care, the doctor will perform a physical examination and may ask further questions about your symptoms.

Your doctor may also recommend further testing they can perform at the urgent care facility. Examples include quick strep or flu tests, X-ray imaging, or blood work. These tests can help your doctor make the most likely diagnosis.

Medications and Follow-Up

Whenever relevant, your doctor will prescribe medications or perform procedures (such as stitching a wound) to help correct why you are seeking medical attention. Your doctor will call in prescriptions to your pharmacy of choice and provide you with discharge instructions. These can include if you should follow up with any other medical specialists and symptoms that may indicate you need to call the urgent care center regarding. You should feel free to ask any questions to ensure you understand your treatment plan and how to correctly take any medications your doctor may have prescribed. 

Resources

1. https://my.clevelandclinic.org/health/articles/15940-emergency-room-urgent-care-or-express-care-which-do-you-need
2. https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0055491
3. https://www.debt.org/wp-content/uploads/2014/02/Emergency-room-vs-urgent-care.jpg
4. https://medlineplus.gov/ency/patientinstructions/000593.htm
5. https://www.ibtimes.com/healthcare-2015-why-millennials-avoid-seeing-doctors-what-means-rising-healthcare-2065473