Looking for Fast and Affordable Healthcare options? Try Urgent Care instead of Minute Clinics

A number of pharmacies and superstores across the country now offer walk-in “minute clinics" to their visitors, such as CVS’s Minute Clinic. Between Emergency Rooms, Minute Clinics, Primary Care Centers, and Urgent Care Centers, it’s easy to confuse the difference between these various medical care destinations. At AFC Urgent Care Beverly, we’ve striven to offer the most comprehensive and highest quality medical services since day one. Better than most minute clinics in our area!

What’s the Difference Between an Urgent Care Center and a “Minute" Clinic?

With these “minute clinics", they emphasize their ability to accommodate patients on a walk-in basis. However, they are generally staffed with only one provider (often only a nurse practitioner), who lacks any support staff, and who can only provide a minor list of medical services. There is no onsite lab or x-ray.

Meanwhile, here at AFC Urgent Care Beverly, we have board-certified physicians on staff and offer a wide number of services that many believe can only be provided by the emergency room. In addition, we can accommodate you on a walk-in basis without prior appointments so you can choose to see a doctor at a time that is convenient for you. Below is a breakdown of the differences between a minute clinic and our urgent care center.

Minute Clinic

• Few Lab Testing Services (generally limited to blood pressure checks)
• Offer Only Minor Medical Services (Flu Shots, Strep Tests, etc.)
• Primarily Do NOT Have On-Site Lab (need to outsource lab samples for diagnostics and testing)
• Cannot conduct any X-Rays or perform wound and laceration repairs
• Limited to 2-3 patients per hour
• Closed during lunch hour and closed in the evenings

Our Urgent Care Center

• Staffed By Board-Certified Physicians (as well as highly experienced medical providers)
• Can do wound and laceration repair, test for fractures and do splinting onsite
• On-Site Lab, Equipped With X-Rays and the Apparatus Necessary for Drug Testing, Strep Throat Testing, Urinalysis, Flu-shots, Travel Immunizations etc.
• Offer Occupational Health Services to Self Employed (e.g DOT Physicals) and Employers (Pre-Employment Physicals, Drug Testing, etc.)
• Provide a Comprehensive Number of Patient Services on a Walk-In Basis
• Accepts Most Insurances available to residents of Massachusetts and Offer Affordable Self-Pay Options

So next time you’re considering a visit to your local minute clinic, consider AFC Urgent Care Beverly for your healthcare needs. We’re located at 50 Dodge Street in Beverly MA (steps away from Walgreens and CVS) and are just a short drive away from Peabody, Salem, and Danvers.