Urgent care facilities should be an important part of your family's healthcare. A good insurance plan, as well as a primary care physician, are necessities. But knowing where to go or take your family when you have an immediate need for medical attention is when an urgent care clinic becomes valuable. However, there are a few things you should be aware before the need arises for one.

They are not a hospital emergency room

If you need immediate medical attention, you should call for emergency assistance. They only treat injuries that require treatment or examination in the next couple of hours. Things such as sprains and fractures that require x-rays are examples. Also, cuts that may need a few stitches. In general, this type of facility serves the function of a walk-in emergency room. But if you have ever been to this area of a hospital, you have no doubt experienced long delays in treatment. The other function of urgent care is to see a doctor for an illness, such as the flu, which is the type of illness you would normally see your primary care physician for, but the time you need to wait for an appointment is unacceptable.

They may not take your insurance

Not all urgent care facilities will take every insurance plan. For this reason, you need to take the time to choose a clinic ahead of needing one. It is possible that you could get stuck with the bill. Your condition may not be so critical that you require a visit to a hospital emergency room, but neither are you likely going to have the time to start searching for another urgent care facility that accepts your insurance. In addition, you need to check your insurance provider to know what their policy is on these types of facilities. It may be that they have preferred clinics for you to visit. Outside of these facilities, you may be responsible for a higher percentage of the bill.

They have business hours

You would think that all urgent care facilities are open 24 hours a day. After all, they are urgent care. However, most of these faculties have operating hours, so you can consider them urgent care, but only when they are open. What this means to you is that you must know exactly when a particular facility is open. It may be a good idea to have more than one clinic that you can use if their hours are different. There may be one close by that you prefer to use, but if there is another further away with extended hours, this may be a good option to have.

If you know what an urgent care facility can do for you and your loved ones, it can become an important aspect of keeping your family healthy. However, you should take the time and choose one in advance.