Is CVS Minute Clinic the Same as Urgent Care? A Comprehensive...
If you’re looking for an affordable and accessible way to see a medical provider, you may be wondering about...
Read moreHelp patients book appointments with you on Solv. It's free!
38 instant-book locations
Help patients book appointments with you on Solv. It's free!
No paperwork for breezy booking, with texts to keep you up-to-date.
Snap a photo of your insurance card to see your benefits ahead of time.
Great healthcare professionals who treat you like a neighbor (because they are).
Urgent care is a category of walk-in care in a dedicated medical facility outside of a traditional emergency room. Urgent care centers primarily treat injuries or illnesses requiring immediate care, but not serious enough to require an ER visit. These centers cover a broad spectrum of healthcare, offering a convenient and cost-effective alternative to the emergency room.
Urgent care centers provide a wide range of services that cover common illnesses and injuries. These include but are not limited to:
Minor fractures and sprains
Cuts that might need stitches
Severe cold or flu symptoms
Skin rashes and infections
Urinary tract infections
Dehydration
Minor burns
Most urgent care centers also provide diagnostic services like X-rays and laboratory tests. They can also perform minor procedures and can administer vaccinations and provide physical exams.
Urgent care centers are staffed with a variety of healthcare providers, each with their own role, training, and experience. These include:
Physicians: These are medical doctors who have completed medical school and residency training. They diagnose and treat diseases and injuries, and can prescribe medication.
Nurse Practitioners (NPs): NPs are registered nurses with advanced training and education, often a master's degree or higher. They can diagnose and treat diseases, prescribe medication, and may perform minor procedures.
Physician Assistants (PAs): PAs are licensed to practice medicine under the supervision of a physician. They can diagnose and treat diseases, perform procedures, and prescribe medication.
Registered Nurses (RNs): RNs provide and coordinate patient care, educate patients about health conditions, and provide advice and emotional support to patients and their families.
Medical Assistants: These are healthcare professionals who perform administrative and clinical tasks in the offices of physicians, hospitals, and other healthcare facilities.
Together, these healthcare providers work as a team to ensure that patients receive comprehensive, immediate care when they need it most.
Urgent care centers are designed to provide immediate, non-life-threatening medical attention. They are suitable for treating conditions that require prompt attention but aren't severe enough to warrant an ER visit. Some of these conditions include minor fractures, sprains, burns, cuts requiring stitches, fever or flu-like symptoms, mild to moderate asthma, and urinary tract infections. Urgent care centers also offer services like X-rays, lab tests, and vaccinations.
While both urgent care centers and ERs provide immediate medical attention, they cater to different levels of health emergencies. ERs are equipped to handle life-threatening conditions like severe chest pain, severe burns, poisoning, severe bleeding, or symptoms of stroke. Urgent care centers, on the other hand, handle less severe conditions that still need immediate attention. Typically, urgent care centers also have shorter wait times and lower costs compared to ERs.
Primary care providers are usually the first point of contact for patients seeking preventative care, treatment for common illnesses, or management of chronic conditions. They also provide referrals to specialists when needed. Urgent care centers, on the other hand, are designed to provide immediate care for non-life-threatening conditions outside of regular office hours. While primary care providers offer continuity of care and manage overall health, urgent care centers fill in the gap when immediate care is needed and a primary care provider is unavailable.
Retail clinics, often found in pharmacies or supermarkets, provide care for minor illnesses and preventative services like vaccinations. They are typically staffed by nurse practitioners or physician assistants. Urgent care centers, in contrast, are equipped to handle more complex conditions and offer a broader range of services. They are usually staffed by physicians and have extended hours, including weekends and holidays. While retail clinics are a convenient option for minor conditions, urgent care centers provide a more comprehensive level of care for urgent, non-life-threatening conditions.
Urgent care centers in Bakersfield, CA are abundant and diverse, offering a wide range of healthcare services to meet the needs of the city's residents.
Locating an urgent care center in Bakersfield is straightforward, with numerous clinics spread across the city. Depending on your location, you can find a suitable clinic in various neighborhoods and communities.
Downtown Bakersfield hosts a number of urgent care centers, offering convenient access for those living or working in the city center.
Southwest Bakersfield is home to several urgent care clinics, providing accessible healthcare services to residents in this part of the city.
For those who prefer or require remote healthcare, several Bakersfield urgent care centers offer virtual visits, allowing you to consult with healthcare professionals from the comfort of your home.
When choosing an urgent care clinic in Bakersfield, consider factors such as location, hours of operation, services offered, and patient reviews. It's also important to ensure the clinic accepts your insurance. Solv provides all this information, making it easier for you to make an informed decision.
Most urgent care clinics in Bakersfield offer the convenience of same-day and next-day appointments. This ensures that you can get the medical attention you need without delay. On Solv, you can directly book your visit with the clinic, saving you time and hassle.
Solv is your trusted partner in healthcare, making it easy for you to find and book appointments with urgent care centers in Bakersfield. With Solv, you have access to clinic details, reviews, and direct booking options. Whether you need a same-day appointment or a next-day visit, Solv helps you navigate Bakersfield's healthcare landscape with ease and confidence.
When seeking urgent care in Bakersfield, you can expect a smooth and efficient healthcare experience. From preparing for your visit to follow-up care, Solv ensures that you are well-informed and confident in your healthcare decisions. Let's walk through the process.
Before heading to an urgent care center, there are a few things you can do to ensure a successful visit. Make sure to bring your insurance card, a form of identification, and a list of any medications you are currently taking, including the dosage and frequency. If you have any known allergies or a recent medical history, it's beneficial to have this information readily available. To save time, consider booking your appointment in advance through Solv.
Upon arrival at the urgent care center, you'll check in and provide your identification and insurance information. You'll then be seen by a healthcare provider who will assess your condition, provide treatment, and may prescribe medication if necessary. Urgent care centers in Bakersfield are equipped to handle a variety of non-life-threatening conditions, including minor fractures, cuts, burns, and illnesses.
While wait times can vary, most patients at urgent care centers are seen within an hour. To minimize your wait time, consider booking your appointment in advance through Solv.
After your visit, you may be given instructions for follow-up care. This could include taking prescribed medications, resting, or scheduling a follow-up visit. If you have any questions or concerns after your visit, don't hesitate to contact the urgent care center. They are there to assist you and ensure your recovery is on track.
The average out-of-pocket cost for an urgent care visit ranges from $71 to $125 for basic care, with additional costs for services like shots, x-rays, and labs. This is significantly less than a comparable visit to an emergency room, which averages around $1,318. Most urgent care centers accept insurance, as well as both Medicare and Medicaid. Be sure to verify with your chosen center before your visit to avoid any unexpected costs.
For residents of Bakersfield, CA, several top-rated urgent care centers are available for immediate healthcare needs. Universal Urgent Care, located at 2121 Niles St, Bakersfield, CA 93305, is a well-respected provider in the community. Although it doesn't have a rating, it's known for its quality care and service.
Priority Urgent Care has multiple locations throughout Bakersfield, each with high ratings and a significant number of reviews. The center at 2509 Mount Vernon Ave, Bakersfield, CA 93306, boasts a 4.8 rating from 10890 reviews, indicating a high level of patient satisfaction. It's a convenient option for those living in the eastern part of the city.
Another Priority Urgent Care location at 9000 Stockdale Hwy, Bakersfield, CA 93311, has a slightly lower rating of 4.62, but still impresses with 951 positive reviews. This location is ideal for residents in the southwestern part of Bakersfield.
The Priority Urgent Care center at 3409 Calloway Dr, Bakersfield, CA 93312, holds two spots on the list. One has a 4.79 rating from 7776 reviews, and the other has an exceptional 4.95 rating from 369 reviews. These centers are conveniently located for residents in the northwestern part of the city.
Across the board, Priority Urgent Care centers in Bakersfield are highly regarded for their prompt service, professional staff, and quality care. Whether you're in the eastern, western, or northern parts of the city, there's a Priority Urgent Care center nearby to serve your urgent healthcare needs.
The price charged at an urgent care, whether in Bakersfield or elsewhere, will be based on the location, and there are no actual standard costs between the clinics. Assuming you are paying with cash, you might come across an urgent clinic that charges you $50 while another situated some mile away charges you $100 for the same services. The standard cost in urgent care where insurance cover is not involved ranges from $100 to $125. This price is generally the standard price of a visit before extra services. There are a couple of additional care services that could make your appointment to an urgent care costly including x-rays and lab tests, medications and injections (such as immunization), casting broken bones, as well as stitches and splints. If you have a viable insurance plan in place, the standard pay will be between $20 – 50 depending on your insurance coverage and whether you are in contact with the provider.
Most primary care doctor offices are open during routine work hours, Monday thru Friday, 9:00 am to 5:00 pm. Conversely, most of the urgent care centers in Bakersfield are available after hours, on weekends, and many holidays. Typical urgent care hours are 8:00 am to 8:00 pm daily, although location-specific hours may vary.
Historically, urgent care centers were strictly an on-demand, walk-in healthcare service mode. More recently, as consumer behaviors and expectations have evolved, many urgent care clinics have begun offering book ahead visits, allowing consumers to select a same-day or next-day time that works best for their schedule. Use Solv to find a Bakersfield urgent care center that offers advanced bookings (or appointments) and book online.
Solv allows Bakersfield residents and visitors to book urgent care visits online with just a few taps. Same-day and next-day visit times are generally available, and you can search for real-time availability clinics.
Solv allows you to find any of the urgent care and walk-in clinics in Bakersfield, many of which accept most major commercial insurances. Just browse the clinics page to see if your carrier and plan is listed. If you are still unsure, it is best to contact the urgent care center directly for clarification.
Many urgent care centers, including those in Bakersfield, now offer virtual visits or telemedicine for residents and visitors throughout the state. Virtual urgent care visits are generally booked online whether in advance or on-demand. Clinics that do offer virtual care have a video icon on their profiles.
While it would be easy to provide a list of urgent care centers in and around Bakersfield, 'best' is a challenging term to qualify. For some consumers, that could mean the closest location whereas other people may prioritize patient reviews, service costs, availability, or whether or not the provider accepts their insurance. With the list of locations above, use the filters provided to narrow the results to find the best urgent care for your needs.
Urgent care are available to assist patients that are looking for immediate, convenient medical care. In that manner, they are similar to an emergency room. The difference, however, is that ERs are meant to treat major, life-threatening injuries and illnesses while urgent care centers manage life’s minor bruises and bumps. In simple terms, an urgent care is seen as a walk-in health center that focuses in offering non-emergent health care conditions, including the treatment of the typical illnesses and injuries such as fractures and sprains, cuts and burns, scrapes, stings and bites, flu and cold symptoms, nausea and vomiting, abdominal pain, and much more. Most urgent care facilities offer both diagnostic and preventive care such as well visits, immunizations, STD testing and annual physicals. For regular visits and check-ups on these clinics, you should expect to pay between $20 and $100. The good thing is that most urgent care clinics will accept major PPOs and insurance cover, Medicare, as well as self-pay in the form of credit cards or cash. Urgent care clinics are located in most parts of the country in various regions to offset emergency room visits and provide a gap in healthcare services. They take patients during all hours of operations, which offer a significant convenience to most people who have and continue to undergo the need for sudden and immediate medical attention.
Annual Wellness Exam in Bakersfield
Chickenpox Vaccine in Bakersfield
DOT Exam in Bakersfield
Ear Wax Removal in Bakersfield
Eye Exam in Bakersfield
Flu Shot in Bakersfield
Hepatitis Vaccine in Bakersfield
Measles Vaccine (MMR) in Bakersfield
Pap Smear in Bakersfield
Physical Exam in Bakersfield
Shingles Vaccine in Bakersfield
Sinus Infection Treatment in Bakersfield
Sports Physicals in Bakersfield
Tetanus Shot in Bakersfield
Typhoid Vaccine in Bakersfield
Well-Woman Exam in Bakersfield
Yellow Fever Vaccine in Bakersfield
A1C Test in Bakersfield
Allergy Testing in Bakersfield
Blood Test in Bakersfield
CMP Test in Bakersfield
COVID-19 Antibody Test in Bakersfield
Chlamydia Test in Bakersfield
Cholesterol Test in Bakersfield
Food Allergy Testing in Bakersfield
Glucose Test in Bakersfield
Hepatitis test in Bakersfield
Mono Test in Bakersfield
RSV Test in Bakersfield
STD Testing in Bakersfield
Strep Test in Bakersfield
TB Test in Bakersfield
Trichomonas Test in Bakersfield
Urinalysis in Bakersfield
Vitamin D Test in Bakersfield
Tips, advice, news—your resource to stay healthy and safe while improving your experience with healthcare providers when you need them.