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Is Urgent Care the Same as a Walk-In Clinic?

Is Urgent Care the Same as a Walk-In Clinic?

Walk-in clinics and urgent care centers share many similarities, including accepting walk-in appointments as well as not having adequate facilities to handle emergencies. Urgent care facilities and walk-in clinics are easily accessible and at times less expensive when it’s not a life-threatening situation. Are you looking for an urgent care clinic or a walk-in clinic? Contact Pine Knob Urgent Care, and get treated by our compassionate healthcare providers. For more information, contact us or schedule an appointment online. We are conveniently located at 6310 Sashabaw Rd, Suite C, Clarkston, MI 48346.

Is Urgent Care the Same as a Walk-In Clinic? | Pine Knob Urgent Care
Is Urgent Care the Same as a Walk-In Clinic? | Pine Knob Urgent Care

Table of Contents:

What is the difference between a walk-in clinic and urgent care?
What does Urgent Care Treat?
What is considered a walk-in clinic?
What’s more expensive urgent care or a walk-in clinic?

While emergency rooms and primary care clinics are essential medical facilities, they are not always flexible enough to accommodate all medical concerns. Concerning emergency rooms, you have likely been in a scenario where you had an urgent medical problem that did not qualify as an emergency, resulting in hours upon hours spent in the waiting room wondering if you are ever going to see a doctor for your concern. Concerning primary care clinics, you may have experienced an injury or come down with something on a Friday evening that requires urgent medical care but cannot see your doctor until the following week. Urgent care clinics and walk-in clinics were created with the intent purpose of accommodating such medical concerns. However, there are some differences between urgent care and walk-in clinics! We go through the differences between walk-in and urgent care clinics below.

What is the difference between a walk-in clinic and urgent care?


Walk-in clinics and urgent care clinics function similarly in several different ways. However, they are not the exact same type of medical facility. While both urgent care clinics and walk-in clinics accept walk-in appointments, which means you can see a doctor or medical professional when visiting either clinic without making a prior appointment, urgent care clinics generally have the capability to treat more serious medical concerns and conditions than walk-in clinics.

What does Urgent Care Treat?


Urgent care clinics can treat any medical concern that is not a life-threatening emergency, for which only emergency rooms and intensive care units have the proper equipment and resources to care for. With that in mind, there is a broad range of medical conditions, illnesses, and injuries that an urgent clinic can treat, such as the following:

• Abdominal pain and stomach aches
• Abrasions, cuts, and lacerations that do not involve a lot of bleeding
• Allergies
• Animal or insect bites
• Asthma
• Bronchitis
• Burns and rashes
• Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD)
• Cold and flu
• Diarrhea, nausea, and vomiting
• Ear and eye infections
• Headaches and migraines
• Heartburn and indigestion
• Joint pain
• Minor fractures, sprains, and strains
• Shingles
• Sinus infections
• Urinary tract infections (UTIs)
• Women’s health issues

What is considered a walk-in clinic?


A walk-in clinic is a medical facility where patients can go to receive medical care without making an appointment prior to their arrival. As such, urgent care clinics and emergency rooms both function as walk-in clinics but are differentiated from walk-in clinics due to the nature and severity of the medical concerns they are able to address. 

What’s more expensive urgent care or a walk-in clinic?


While costs vary depending on the clinic, location of the clinic, services rendered, and other factors, urgent care clinics are often slightly more expensive than walk-in clinics because they typically offer a broader range of services. However, the cost margin between walk-in clinics and urgent care clinics is minimal, and both options are inexpensive alternatives to the emergency room, which can be four to five times more expensive than urgent care and walk-in clinics. You may also find that walk-in clinics and urgent care clinics in your area have the same price ranges.

Please feel free to call us if you want to know our price ranges or other related information at Pine Knob Urgent Care in Clarkston, MI! A member of our friendly administrative team would be happy to answer any questions you have about our price ranges, payment plans, insurance policies, and more.

Our medical doctors and professionals at Pine Knob Urgent Care would be happy to see you for a walk-in appointment! For more information, contact us or come to our clinic at 6310 Sashabaw Rd, Suite C, in Clarkston, Michigan, for a walk-in appointment. We serve patients from Clarkston MI, Waterford Twp MI, Springfield MI, Pontiac MI, Auburn Hills MI, Oxford MI, and surrounding areas.