Most people don’t want to book an appointment and wait for that appointment, most people want to be on the go when it comes to doctor appointments, which is why Urgent Cares are so popular. As of 2020, there are over 9,000 across the country. Urgent care is a walk in clinic offering more access than an emergency room or doctor’s office. Urgent cares are more time convenient but offer less than an emergency room can. 

Urgent cares are more affordable than emergency rooms and doctor’s offices. They are also way more convenient and take way less time than normal appointments. Especially since not everything is an emergency, you wouldn’t have to go to the emergency room and stress out about wasting a ton of your time on waiting instead of being helped. “A 2010 Health Affairs report pointed to cost saving potential, finding that up to 27% of emergency department cases could be seen in urgent care; such a transition would generate up to $4.4 billion in annual cost savings.” (- researchandmarkets.com). 

  There is a new Urgent care that opened less than a week ago in Grand Ledge. This Urgent care is called Lansing Urgent Care- Grand Ledge. “The emergency room is an overutilized, expensive and stressful place to seek healthcare when you don’t have a true medical emergency.” ( Lansing Urgent care). They offer walk in care, expanded hours, and limited wait times. Another Urgent care opening up is good for the community. The community will be able to save not only money, but also time when going to an Urgent Care instead of an emergency room. 

At the beginning of covid, Urgent Care numbers were seen as decreasing very drastically. In the two mandated weeks of quarantine, the average visits to Urgent Cares dropped over 46%. Workers saw an average low of 88 people per week in mid April. In May, they saw a positive difference of 158% increase in visitors. Many Urgent cares are primary testing centers, meaning people get covid tested at the Urgent Cares but most likely get treated at the hospital. 

The number of Urgent cares has increased steadily since 2013, the total number was over 6,100. As of 2020, there are over 9,616 Urgent cares across the country. Over 97% of patients say they only wait less than an hour. There are some 24/7 Urgent Cares open. The average hospital emergency room bill is over $2,000, an average bill at an Urgent Care is $168 (even with patients with the same diagnosis) This is important because having more options is better than  over crowding the hospitals. Urgent cares are cheaper, faster, and are for non- emergencies.