Urgent Care vs. Primary Care
Walk in urgent care is a relatively new concept in Manhattan, so it’s understandable if you are confused about where to go. Here are some situations in which it would be preferable to go to an immediate care facility:
I NEED TO SEE A DOCTOR NOW
When you are sick or injured the “next available appointment” may not be soon enough. Doctors in Manhattan are not the best about fitting in a walk in appointment, but at an urgent care center you can always receive a doctors immediate care, same day, with no appointment.
AFTER HOURS CARE
Unlike primary care offices, urgent care centers are open for extended hours including weekends and evenings. Some Manhattan urgent care centers are open 365 days/year including holidays. If you are looking for adult or pediatric after hours care for a non-life- threatening problem, an emergency walk in center is your go to option.
EMERGENCY CARE
The staff at urgent care centers is able to treat illnesses and injuries too serious to be handled in a Primary Care or Pediatric office, such as lacerations, fractures, dislocations, asthma treatments, oxygen and IV fluids. But emergency walk in centers are not all created equal and no one should substitute convenience for quality. You likely will want to be seen by an emergency care Physician, not a Nurse Practitioner or a Physician’s Assistant. The sign of a superior walk in clinic is that is it staffed exclusively by Board Certified Emergency Medicine Physicians.
DIAGNOSTICS ALL UNDER ONE ROOF
A Primary Care Doctor will usually have to make a referral for you to get X Ray, sonogram, EKG or labs elsewhere. A quality emergency walk in center in NYC will offer all that “under one roof”. That means everything is simplified for you. You don’t need to make appointments or travel to get diagnostic tests done, and you will have your results in minutes rather than waiting for follow up to be sent to your doctor the next day.
NO DELAY IN STARTING MEDICATIONS
Immediate care facilities administer medications on site, such as pain medications and antibiotics, a feature primary care physicians do not offer.
The care you receive at an immediate medical care center is not a substitute for having a primary care doctor. It’s good medicine to have your own primary care doctor who can provide ongoing treatment, and we discourage patients from using walk in physicians as a substitute for ongoing primary care. At Medhattan, we will gladly make a referral for you if necessary.
At your request we will ensure that your primary care doctor is aware of every aspect of your visit, and we will copy your entire chart and history on a flash drive for you to take with you, including any x-rays or lab results.
About Medhattan
Medhattan Immediate Medical Care is open 365 days/year including holidays and we are open after hours when your doctor is not available. We are the premier urgent care in Manhattan, staffed exclusively by 15 Board Certified Emergency Medicine Physicians providing urgent care for kids and adults.
