Illnesses and injuries don’t always work around your schedule. Whether it’s an unplanned stomach bug at 8 a.m. on a school day or an unexpected sprained ankle during the big soccer game, sometimes waiting just isn’t an option. And for those non-emergent, non-life-threatening needs, there’s urgent care.
Urgent care centers, like MedExpress, offer treatment to patients of all ages for illness and injury, like the flu, broken bones, bites and stings, cuts, burns, scrapes, and more. Urgent care provides an easy, convenient, one-stop option for you and your family’s unscheduled, time-sensitive needs. So, before an unexpected illness or injury stops your day from running smoothly, take a few minutes to prepare for your next trip to urgent care with these five tips.
- Do your research. Get familiar with the services and treatments that your local urgent care center offers. Check out their website for a list of illnesses and injuries that they treat, as well as the types of treatment that they have available. Some urgent care centers even have more advanced offerings, like IVs, labs, EKGs, and X-rays, on site for your convenience.
- Find the location of your local center. Before that pesky flu hits your home, know the location and address of the urgent care center nearest you. MedExpress offers an easy-to-use online tool to find the center in your area. Quickly find driving directions, phone numbers, center hours, and more, so getting to your local center is a breeze.
- Know what to bring with you. The last thing you want to do when your little one is sick is show up to the doctor’s office without everything you need. Many urgent care centers help you plan for your visit by sharing a list of exactly what you need to bring with you, like a driver’s license or photo ID, insurance information, a list of medications, and more. Keep this list somewhere you’ll remember it, like on the refrigerator or in a notebook, so you can find it easily when you need it.
- Check your insurance. Understanding your insurance plan is an important step in managing healthcare costs and avoiding out-of-network pricing. Make sure to check whether your insurance is accepted before you go. MedExpress offers a convenient way to take the stress out of insurance, with accepted insurance listings by each location. Don’t have insurance? MedExpress offers affordable pricing for those without insurance.
- Hitch a ride. Illness and injury don’t wait until your car is out of the shop. To make your next trip to urgent care as convenient as possible, from start to finish, MedExpress offers the option to book a ride to your local center with Uber.
(Disclosure: This post is sponsored by MedExpress though all opinions are 100% mine. There are new locations in the Twin Cities including West St. Paul, Plymouth, and Eden Prairie, with many more to come! Visit their website for locations near you and check them out for quality, affordable urgent care! Also, read about my tour of MedExpress and why I recommend them!)
Rosie Beckett says
Knowing the location of the center is great. That way you don’t have to worry about trying to find one in the case of an emergency. If you don’t know where the urgent care is, it will just take longer for you to try and find it which is never great when you are in pain. If you know where it is at, you can let someone know that is where they need to take you in case of an emergency! Then you know as well as the person you would trust to take you there if you ever need to.
Sariah says
I’m thinking of trying out an urgent care in case my kids will be needing treatment for an illness or injury. I like your tip on getting familiar first with the service and treatments that our local urgent care have available. Doing this will be at our own convenience. Thanks!