Urgent care is a medical facility that people can go to if they are needing medical attention, but don’t need to visit an emergency room. Urgent care clinics offer immediate interventions for different types of medical concerns that people may have. Urgent care is a different setting than just a normal walk-in clinic and has a bit more flexibility in what they can or can’t do.

Urgent care centers are typically run by physicians and nurses, and as well have an administration team that is in charge of triaging patients before they are seen by a doctor. Urgent care clinics are a great alternative to seeking medical attention in an emergency room if there is no serious, life-threatening situation happening. There is a much shorter wait time to see a physician in an urgent care clinic, and as well there is a decreased risk of contracting hospital acquired infection through visiting an urgent care clinic.

One of the best things about an urgent care clinic is that there is no appointment necessary. Patients are able to go into an urgent care clinic and see a physician for an acute or chronic issue that is causing their quality of life to decrease, and not have to worry about being turned away without an appointment. Some urgent care clinics do offer for people to make an appointment before they can come in, just to make sure that the medical team is ready for them, but this is not a requirement that needs to happen.

An urgent care setting is very much like a hospital, just that it does not treat severe or complex cases a person may have. Just like a hospital, there is no appointment needed in order to receive treatment.

Having an insurance plan is extremely recommended if you are visiting any medical institution. Insurance is a financial protection mechanism people can choose to have or do not have. Different insurance providers offer different insurance packages that cover certain medical expenses for all kinds of procedures and treatment.

Depending on the type of insurance you have, it may or may not include coverage for urgent care clinics. Before selecting an insurance plan, it is important to understand which medical coverage you are selecting, and which things are covered under your insurance plans. Most urgent care clinics do accept insurance policies, but if your specific insurance agency does not cover urgent care settings, the urgent care clinic will not accept your insurance.

Urgent care clinics are known to treat a variety of medical conditions or symptoms. Urgent care clinics have access to x-ray and ultrasound machines to be used in order to identify a possible broken bone or an abnormality that would warrant an ultrasound. Urgent care clinics are also able to create casts for individuals who are suffering from a broken bone, a sprain, or a strain.

All urgent care clinics have different instruments that can be used to better understand why a person has a certain set of symptoms. For example, if a person is complaining of ear discomfort, physicians are able to use an otoscope to look inside the ear canal that can identify if there is any inflammation or signs of infection.

Some of the services offered by PACS Urgent Care are listed below:

• Abdominal Pain Treatment
• Back Pain Treatment
• Chronic Disease Management
• Confidential STD Testing
• Covid Testing
• Digital X-Ray
• DOT Physical Exams
• Drug Screening
• EKG Treatment
• General Medical Care
• Immunization
• In Office Laboratory Services
• Minor Illnesses Treatment
• Minor Injuries Treatment
• Primary Care
• Rapid COVID-19 Testing
• Sports Injury Treatment
• Telemedicine Visits
• Urinary Tract Infection Treatment

Typically, urgent care centers are open during the weekends, the hours of operation run between a 24-hour rotation while some centers are only open during prescribed hours such as 8 to 4pm or 9 to 5pm. Some centers work on a 12-hour rotation through-out the weekends to better serve their clientele; this typically occurs in rural or under-serviced areas where the ability to have specialized medical procedures are diminished. A PACS Urgent Care we are open Monday to Sunday from 8:00 AM to 7:00 PM. We are a team that work primarily in walk-in and urgent care centers, and we are here to answer any questions that you may have. We are always here for your healthcare needs – just call us, or simply walk-in. For more information, call us today. We have convenient locations to serve you in Alexandria VA, and Ruther glen VA! We serve patients from Alexandria VA, Ruther Glen VA, Bagdad VA, Athens VA, Balty VA, and Doswell VA.