If you find yourself dealing with a health concern outside of regular business hours for your doctor, you might think that your only option is to head to the emergency room. If you are dealing with a true emergency, this is probably your best choice. However, in many cases, an urgent care facility is a better option. These are three reasons why.

1. You May Not Have to Wait as Long

For one thing, if you have ever visited the emergency room, you should know that waits can be long. The staff members who work in the emergency room typically try to treat the most serious and life-threatening issues first. If you are there for something that isn't an emergency, you could find yourself waiting in the waiting room for a very long time. If you go to an urgent care facility, you might find that you can get treated a whole lot more quickly. This alone can be a good enough reason to avoid the emergency room.

2. You Can Save Money

Another good reason to consider visiting an urgent care facility is the fact that you may be able to save money if you do so. Emergency room bills can be quite expensive. However, urgent care facilities often charge affordable rates for their services, making getting the health care that you need a little less painful on your wallet.

3. You Can Avoid Tying Up Resources

If the condition that you are looking to see a doctor for is not an emergency, then you might feel bad about potentially taking away medical attention from those in the emergency room who might be dealing with much more serious health concerns. This is not a concern at an urgent care center. Since urgent care centers are not designed to handle emergency situations, you should not have to worry about taking away resources from others. This can help prevent the emergency room at your local hospital from becoming overcrowded, which could prevent those who are in emergency situations from getting the care that they need right away.

As you can see, if you are dealing with certain health concerns, it can be a better idea to go to an urgent care facility rather than an emergency room. If you check out an urgent care facility near you, you can find out more about what they are about and why they can be a good option for some of your health care needs.