Many people, to their disadvantage, do not understand that there really is a great difference between a 24 hour clinic in Houston and the emergency rooms in Houston. Many have seen advertisements, perhaps on television, for a 24 hour clinic in Houston, and wondered in what ways a 24 hour emergency clinic is different than emergency rooms in Houston. The great news is that, even though there are several differences, there are also a great many similarities between the two forms of health care. It should also be noted that most to all emergency clinics accept a wide array of insurance plans.
One major difference between a 24 hour clinic in Houston and the hospital emergency room is that the hospital is trained to handle both emergencies and non-emergencies. A 24 hour emergency clinic is normally only able to handle emergency situations. It is worth noting, however, that even though a 24 hour clinic in Houston only handles emergencies, they are not equipped to handle life-threatening emergencies that include the risks of complications.
In this case, one may wonder just how well a 24 hour clinic in Houston might replace the average hospital’s emergency room. For one thing, many of the people who frequent an emergency room do so with non-life threatening illnesses or complaints. These are the types of cases that are best handled by a 24 hour clinic in Houston. Also, the average 24 hour clinic in Houston accepts a wide array of medical insurance plans, whereas most hospitals are limited to accepting only the insurance with which they are affiliated.
If one has no insurance, or a very minimal coverage plan, then it is also cost-beneficial to contemplate a 24 hour clinic in Houston, as it is much cheaper to visit an emergency clinic than it is to visit the hospital emergency room. As an example, if an individual were to enter a 24 hour clinic in Houston with a cut finger that needs stitches, the charges would only be for the actual treatment of the wounded finger. At a hospital emergency room, in many cases, hundreds of dollars can be added on to one’s bill simply for the “convenience” of the emergency room visit. At a 24 hour clinic in Houston, there are no charges other than those directly related to the treatment for which one came into the 24 hour clinic in Houston.