Urgent Care facilities are also known as Walk-In Care, Quick Care, and Convenient Care Centers. Whichever name they go by, their role and goal are the same: to provide medical treatment to individuals suffering from acute diseases or mild trauma. There is no need for an appointment to see a doctor, and the hours of operation are longer than those of a doctor’s office, particularly at night and on weekends. Patients with significant, life-threatening, or permanently debilitating conditions are not accepted at urgent care centers. Urine tests, pregnancy tests, rapid strep tests to diagnose strep throat, minor headaches, cough or sore throat, nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, scrapes, bumps, ear or sinus pain, eye irritation, burning with urination, animal bites, and foreign objects in the eye or nose are among the basic services provided at an urgent care center. When necessary, medical personnel can use stitches and sutures to repair wounds. Some facilities can do blood testing and may have X-ray machines. If a break is discovered, emergency room personnel can place patients in casts before referring them to an orthopedist for further treatment. If you were hurt as a result of urgent care malpractice, contact the experienced medical malpractice attorneys at DeFrancisco & Falgiatano. We help clients throughout Upstate New York, with offices in multiple convenient locations. Our extensive experience in the medical malpractice field is reflected in the results we have achieved for our clients. It is critical to get legal representation as soon as possible after being harmed in order to file a legitimate claim within the applicable statute of limitations.
It’s simple to see why urgent care clinics are popular alternatives to hospital emergency rooms when it comes to treating burns, abrasions, muscle sprains and strains, broken bones, doing medical imaging and other tests, and more. Because of their growing popularity, you are likely to find several within a short drive of your home. That can be beneficial if you find yourself in need of medical assistance with shorter wait times and a lower financial outlay than standard ER care. Due to the lack of appointment requirements and longer hours of operation, some people prefer urgent care medical clinics to primary care physicians or packed emergency departments. Urgent care clinics are becoming so popular that they are exceeding traditional emergency rooms in terms of patient use.
Urgent care clinics have revolutionized the way many Americans seek medical attention, but the greater accessibility of healthcare is not without concerns that are particular to the urgent care environment. Most medical personnel in urgent care centers treat individuals without the patient’s complete medical histories. During each visit, the patient must supply information about their allergies, chronic diseases, and medications. If the urgent care facility operates independently of nearby hospitals or medical facilities, it may have limited access to patient medical records. There is no ongoing physician-patient interaction. Individuals who are seen and diagnosed at an urgent care clinic are recommended to see their primary care physician or a specialist for follow-up. Urgent care centers are not intended to replace primary care physicians.
These clinics are intended to treat minor ailments rather than major medical issues. The emphasis at these busy and sometimes inexperienced staffed clinics is often on getting patients in and out as quickly as possible. This means that the patient intake procedure may be rushed or handled by someone who is not a trained healthcare professional. Furthermore, doctors frequently work part-time or pick up extra hours at these clinics, so you may never be certain of the particular qualifications of the person treating you. You may not be seen by a doctor at all. When doctors are unavailable, nurse practitioners, who are professional nurses rather than trained physicians, may see and diagnose patients in these clinics.
With a waiting room packed with people, the doctor may rush into your exam room, perform a cursory review of your symptoms, and make an on-the-spot diagnosis. During this hasty examination, the doctor or nurse practitioner may have already formed an opinion regarding your disease or injuries. When clinicians do rush and distracted exams, they frequently fail to notice the severity of a sickness or injury. Instead of sending patients to the emergency room for the necessary care, they will be sent home with simply a prescription. This lack of focus can have disastrous consequences. While urgent care facilities may appear more appealing to consumers because they do not have the significant wait times associated with emergency rooms, they may not have the necessary diagnostic equipment or critical care services that hospitals provide.
All medical systems, regardless of size or location, are expected to offer a certain level of care to the people they serve. If a doctor, urgent care facility, or other medical practitioner acts (or fails to act) in a way that causes a patient harm, this might be considered urgent care medical malpractice. Failure to diagnose or misdiagnose a medical condition; failure to identify certain conditions at the earliest possible stage; failure to treat your medical condition promptly; diagnostic equipment malfunction; and failure to accurately interpret the patient’s test results are all examples of urgent care medical malpractice.
Urgent care medical negligence and errors can result in severe damages, disabilities, injuries, or even death. If you think you or a loved one has experienced urgent care medical malpractice, you may be able to file a lawsuit and pursue compensation. If you have been injured at urgent care, it’s important to understand that you have potential recourse for the harm you’ve suffered. The attorneys at DeFrancisco & Falgiatano Personal Injury Lawyers represent injured patients and their families throughout Upstate New York including Syracuse, Rochester, Elmira, Binghamton, Auburn, Ithaca, Norwich, Herkimer, Delhi, Cooperstown, Cortland, Lowville, Oneida, Watertown, Oswego, Utica, Canandaigua, Wampsville, and Lyons. Please call us at 833-200-2000 or contact us via our online form to learn more about your rights.