Offering faster, more affordable healthcare that’s often more accessible, the new Doctors Express Urgent Care clinic in Bridgeport opened last week.
Many residents are finding the center to provide exactly what it promises–a lower-cost alternative to primary care physician offices and emergency rooms. This new center is one of the many across the United States that is rushing to meet the needs of people in need of high quality healthcare services that don’t end up breaking the bank.
There are several reasons that these centers are more convenient than the alternatives. First of all, they’re open for longer hours than doctors’ offices, as well as on weekends, they’re also much more accessible. Secondly, they’re staffed with at least one on-site physician more than half the time (65%) and nurses the rest of the time, which makes these facilities great to go to when other options aren’t available last minute.
These clinics are made even more convenient thanks to their short wait times. According to Becker’s Hospital Review, urgent care centers reported 57% of patients wait less than 15 minutes to be seen and about 80% of all visits take about an hour or less.
Susan Maldonado, a citizen of Bridgeport, said that Doctors Express Urgent Care’s convenience was part of the reason she went there. Between her full-time job and her full-time schooling, free time is both scarce and precious. The clinic is just a two-minute drive from her home, and the office’s atmosphere was much better and more pleasant than most doctors’ offices.
“It’s not crowded,” she said. “The people aren’t rude. It’s nice.”
Doctors Express Urgent Care is only one of many new facilities opening across the country, which shouldn’t be a surprise to anyone. Fueled by the frustrations over exorbitant emergency room bills and the sever lack of primary physician after hours–only 29% of doctors even offer after hours care–the number of urgent care centers has blossomed from 8,000 in 2008 to a whopping 9,300 with 50 to 100 new clinics opening every year, and In 2010, the average number of visits per week increased to 342.
It’s no surprise that many Bridgeport citizens like Susan Maldonado are finding urgent care clinics to be exactly what they’re looking for. If you need to see a doctor last minute, and your malady doesn’t warrant a trip to the ER, then you should definitely consider making a trip to your local urgent care center.