Whether you or your child feels under the weather or you twist your ankle playing with your kids, these situations can sneak up when you least expect it. You can treat many cold symptoms and injuries at home. Sometimes, you require additional medical treatment.

If your medical condition isn’t life-threatening but needs more than just basic first aid, visit AFC Urgent Care Lower Macungie. This mom-owned urgent care understands the challenges facing families today to find healthcare options that work with your schedule.

As urgent care centers become more popular, some common misunderstandings remain about urgent care and the conditions they can treat. Let’s clear a few of them.

Myth #1: Urgent Care is the Same as the ER

The emergency room and urgent care centers often get lumped together. Sure, they can both handle medical conditions that need immediate treatment. However, the ER should remain reserved for critical medical events, including anything life-threatening such as a heart attack or stroke, severe abdominal pain, trouble breathing, or a badly broken bone.

Urgent care centers — equipped to handle a variety of lesser injuries and illnesses — treat sprains, strains, cuts, and bruises. By choosing urgent care over an ER for these types of issues, you’ll see a provider more quickly, and you’ll also free up space in the ER for someone who might have a severe medical event. Urgent care providers will call for an ambulance if someone comes in who needs emergency care.

Myth #2: Urgent Care Only Opens on Nights and Weekends

Getting an appointment with your primary care physician can often take a week or more. In contrast, urgent care clinics remain very accessible. In addition to being open nights and weekends, they also stay open during traditional office hours, offering a feasible option for families who need fast and convenient healthcare first thing in the morning in addition to nights and weekends.

No Appointment Needed

AFC Urgent Care centers do not require an appointment. Simply walk-in or fill out the form ahead of time online to help save your spot. AFC Urgent Care will see you in a timely fashion. Depending on their needs, patients often get diagnosed, treated, and back out the door in an hour or less.

When you or a family member needs medical attention quickly, but your primary doctor isn’t available, or you’re far away from your doctor’s office, AFC Urgent Care remains a great option. Our staff can treat you and then send your records to your doctor for any necessary follow-up.

Myth #3: It’s Expensive

Compared to an emergency room visit, visits to an urgent care clinic typically cost significantly less. Often, patients only need to cover their insurance copay for an office visit, making urgent care a convenient, lower-cost option for families who need sports physicals or get their sick child diagnosed. You should always check with your insurance provider about any copays associated with an urgent care visit.

Myth #4: They Don’t Have Specialized Services

Urgent care clinics offer more than a place of treatment when you’re sick or injured. Many facilities provide specialized services. AFC Urgent Care Lower Macungie can handle a broad range of medical care options: primary and pediatric care, sports and yearly physicals, flu shots, lab work, vaccines for travel, routine checkups, and seasonal allergy treatment.

Myth #5: Hospitals Offer Better Care

Emergency room physicians at a hospital certainly have a specific set of skills, and the physicians at an urgent care facility remain equally qualified. Most urgent care centers get staffed with a doctor, nurse practitioner, lab technicians, and other medical staff who have years of experience working in emergency medicine. You and your family can visit AFC Urgent Care knowing a qualified medical professional will treat you.

Myth #6: Every Urgent Care is the Same

Not every urgent care comes created equally. Hospital systems run some, while universities and independent organizations run others. They may have different hours of operations and offer various levels of services. A quick Google search will provide ratings and reviews to help narrow down your choices. AFC Urgent Care Lower Macungie is one of the top Google-reviewed urgent care locations in the area. By doing a little research ahead of time, you can make sure you choose an urgent care location near you that offers the services your family needs.

Medical Care at Your Convenience

There’s never a good time to suffer an injury or illness or schedule your child’s sports physical. But, when you must see a doctor fast, an urgent care clinic offers an attractive option. The next time you or your family needs medical attention, turn to AFC Urgent Care Lower Macungie for help.