Is Urgent Care the Same as a Walk-in Clinic?

Urgent care clinics are able to treat most minor illnesses and injuries, which can be classified as health conditions that do not require surgical procedures for treatment and are non-life- and non-limb- threatening. Minor illnesses and injuries will typically require professional medical attention within the next 12 to 24 hours to prevent the condition from worsening or to provide relief for symptoms that are causing significant discomfort or pain. Common conditions that are frequently treated at urgent care clinics include:

– Minor sprains, strains, and fractures
– Minor cuts and bruises
– Cold and flu symptoms
– Minor allergic reactions and asthma
– Infections including UTI’s, STI’s, ear infections, and eye infections
– Dehydration
– Headaches/migraines

The services provided by each individual urgent care clinic will vary a bit depending on the capacity and capabilities of the clinic, but all are able to take in those unexpected and unplanned medical conditions that don’t quite warrant emergency services but would heavily benefit from quality medical care as soon as possible.

Urgent care clinics typically offer a few more services for treatment of injuries and illnesses and will often have laboratory services available for accurate and efficient diagnostics and treatment. Walk-in clinics offer primary care services for patients who may not have access to a primary care physician or who have less predictable schedules that prevents them from being able to schedule appointments in advance. Walk-in clinics will often provide more preventative treatment such as physical examinations, vaccinations, health screenings, as well as treatment for minor illnesses and easily treatable injuries. Urgent care clinics can often handle slightly more severe conditions as they are able to set fractures or provide stitches for cuts. There is quite a bit of overlap with urgent care and walk-in clinics, with most urgent care clinics also offering treatment on a walk-in basis, so it is recommended that you familiarize yourself with the urgent care or walk-in clinic that is close to you to see what specific services they are bale to provide.

While both options tend to be more affordable than having a primary care physician or a trip to an emergency room, urgent care clinics will often end up being the slightly more expensive option of the two simply due to the increased range of services that they are able to provide. The average trip to an urgent care clinic will likely require a bit more of intensive treatment, which quickly affects the cost of the visit, but standard treatment will likely be fairly similar in price. Both offer substantially more affordable prices than an emergency room and will often provide similar open office-hours, but it is also recommended that you look into any insurance coverage you may be qualified for in case they have a preference of covering care from urgent care clinics or walk-in clinics, and to see which health insurance providers your nearby clinic is able to accept.

The biggest difference between a walk-in clinic and an urgent care clinic will be the range of care that they are able to provide, with urgent care clinics typically being able to offer a larger variety of services for slightly more severe conditions. Generally, walk-in clinics can be used as a more convenient and affordable alternative to primary care physicians for those who are unable to schedule appointments well in advance or simply do not have access to a primary care physician. Urgent care clinics have developed to be somewhat of an alternative to emergency rooms, with the severe medical cases that require immediate attention that is potentially life- or limb-saving or may require surgical treatment only having emergency rooms as their treatment option. Urgent care clinics can provide care for the majority of cases that are brought to emergency rooms that require medical attention soon but are not the emergency or severe cases.

If you live in Maryland and require urgent care for a non-life-threatening medical condition, you can visit us at our walk in and urgent care clinic. For more information, contact us or schedule an appointment online. We are conveniently located at 4701 Melbourne Place College Park, MD 20740. We serve patients from College Park MD, New Carrollton MD, Berwyn Heights MD, White Oak MD, Seabrook MD, Laurel MD, Springdale MD, Mitchellville MD and surrounding areas.