What You Should Look For When Choosing A Pasadena Urgent Care Clinic
As the costs associated with visiting a doctor’s office or hospital continue to grow beyond people’s ability to pay, more and more people are choosing to visit a local Pasadena urgent care clinic instead. Urgent care clinics (also called “walk-in clinics”) offer a wide variety of medical services and can treat almost anything except for genuinely life-threatening emergencies.
If someone has been shot or has had a heart attack, you should still take them to the Emergency Room. For just about everything else, an urgent care clinic can take care of your needs more quickly, and much more affordable, than a hospital could.
However, as more walk-in clinics open up around the area, the question becomes: which Pasadena urgent care clinic should I visit? Here are some guidelines for picking the right clinic for your needs, and the needs of your family.
Eight Important Factors When Choosing A Pasadena Walk-In Clinic
1 – Location
All other things being equal, you should visit the urgent care clinic which is nearest to you. After all, if you’re having a medical problem, you don’t want to have to go on a long drive – especially if you’re driving yourself.
Plus, walk-in clinics aren’t only for immediate medical problems. They also provide a range of basic services as well, such as check-ups, disease tests, vaccinations, and physical examinations. You’ll be more likely to take advantage of these services and keep yourself healthier if the clinic is nearby and easy to visit.
2 – Their services
Every walk-in clinic is going to have a slightly different range of services offered, depending on what specialists they have on staff, and what facilities are available at their office. Fortunately, pretty much every clinic is going to have a full list of services available on their website so that you can see what they can do.
This way, if you have a particular need or medical condition that needs to be attended to, you can be sure the urgent care clinic you choose will be able to provide those services.
3 – Their operating hours
24-hour clinics do exist, but they’re still relatively rare. Most clinics do still only have daytime hours, although some offer extended hours into the evening so that you can still visit after work. You’ll want to make note of the clinic’s hours so that you can be sure to visit when they’re open.
4 – Their insurance policies
One key feature of walk-in clinics is that they do not require insurance. This is great news for the uninsured since clinics offer the cheapest medical care around – while still maintaining a high quality of care.
However, if you do have insurance, you probably want to make use of it. Check their website for a list of accepted insurance providers to make sure yours is included.
5 – Payment options and plans
If you do need to pay out-of-pocket, will they be able to accommodate you? Most walk-in clinics offer generous payment plans to make it as convenient as possible for you to pay your bill. Many will also accept a very wide range of payment types so that you have the most possible options for paying.
A hospital typically doesn’t accept PayPal – but your local Pasadena urgent care clinic probably does!
6 – Do they have a pharmacy?
Nearly all urgent care clinics have at least one doctor on staff with prescription-writing privileges, so they can be your source for the medications you need. However, not all clinics have a pharmacy on-site. If possible, you want a clinic that has a pharmacy, so that you can take care of all your medical needs in one place.
This is particularly convenient for people with chronic problems such as asthma or diabetes that require constant prescription refills.
7 – Appointments
Another key aspect of walk-in clinics is that you can truly walk in whenever you need them. Appointments aren’t necessary. That said, sometimes it’s convenient to set up an appointment, such as scheduling a visit for your child after school. Not all urgent care clinics allow for appointments, but many do. You’ll probably find these are more convenient to work with, in situations where you need precise scheduling to fit with your busy life.
8 – Full family services
Finally, when you’re investigating clinics, look into whether they offer full family care. Do they have OB-GYN services? Do they have a pediatric specialist on staff who can provide checkups and other healthcare for your children? This may not matter if you don’t have a family, but it’s important if you do! Your urgent care clinic should be able to serve as your family’s go-to source for all non-emergency health needs.
Get Urgent Care in Pasadena Today
Urgent Care of Pasadena wants to help you, or your entire family, be as healthy as possible – and without breaking the bank. The next time you need non-emergency medical care, don’t waste your time and money at a hospital. Visit and contact Urgent Care of Pasadena instead.
