Thoughts on using urgent care for a sports physical?

See, around here, we have 3 separate medical facilities----ER, Urgent care, and walk-in clinics. They all take walk-ins, but the actual walk-in clinic would be the place to go for a sports physical. In fact, they advertise that they are a place to go to have those done.

So I would not go to an urgent care facility for something like that at all  I'd just go to the regular walk-in clinic..

Our urgent care will do them as long as they aren't really busy with other more pressing issues.

This year the school had a fundraiser that offered sports physicals at the school - it was a great idea IMHO.

The previous couple of years we used our local urgent care/walk in clinic and it was not busy either time. They heavily advertise a sports physical deal at the beginning of the year and it was cheaper than going through out ped. Sports physicals can't be combined with a well child check under our insurance.

I can't imagine anyone going to the ER  . 

Have done it, would do it again (though will never have to, as the kids are grown.) Around here the price is usually less than a regular visit, even as low as $25, and you can do it on a walk-in basis.

I hadn't given it much thought, but I don't see the problem. If it is very busy with a lot of call ins and more serious issues, maybe they could be bumped like what happens in ER visits.

It's convenient, for sure. Our pediatrician has a limited number of slots for sports physicals per week. There have been a few times when I have called for an appointment only to be told the wait would be four or five weeks.

That won't do for a procrastinator like myself who needs it done before the weekend.

Physical at our doctor's office for scout camp, sports, etc., was $300 out of pocket, and scheduling was an issue. The receptionist is the one who told us to go to Urgent Care. It cost us $100 out of pocket. One third the cost of the physical at the doctor's office for the very same thing. Don't know why.

And I agree that Urgent Care Centers are not usually the same kind of patients you see at emergency rooms, but more the kind of folks who just can't get squeezed into their doctor's schedule that day, and they don't want to wait another day, whether for discomfort reasons or work schedules.

The one I go to has a big sign saying from June-Sept, on WE, TH & Fri they do sports physicals from 9a-7p. No appointment needed, walk in basis. I wish they had offered the service when my kids were in sports!

Our urgent care locations no longer do physicals. They say it's a liability and can't do added testing (like heart, etc.) We used them prior to them no longer doing them. Now there are physical sites that the schools promote that are free. We went to them for the first time this year and I wasn't overly impressed with them. They didn't do anything (no hernia, drug, or anything substantial.) He listened to his heart and took his blood pressure, that's it. I take him for yearly well child so his primary doctor will do a more thorough physical then. Based on his birthday, insurance and when physicals are due, I have used urgent care when it was available in our area and now to this mobile clinic with no problem just to have the physical done in time for sports.

For a healthy kid? You bet. We have a high deductible plan and a trip to the pediatrician is $150 vs $35 for the sports physical at urgent care.

We use them for the routine stuff too - sinus infection, strep throat, etc because it is $69 vs $150+ and the hours are 9-9. The pediatrician only sees patients during the middle of the day. Great for him, not for me. And generally the FNP at the urgent care / Minute Clinic spends longer and is more thorough.

We have walk in clinics and urgent care offices and both offer physicals.

I just get my kids' theirs when they go in for well child checkups. Physicals are good for 2 years in our school district, so it's not very often that I have to think about it.

Really? That's not what Urgent Care means around here. Here, Urgent Care is one step down from Emerg and is basically for urgent but not life threatening health issues. Nothing to do with routine and definitely not a walk in. Interesting that the same term can be so different. 

It would never occur to me to do a routine thing like a physical at urgent care. I would not be impressed to find out that my wait is longer because someone is having a routine physical at a place for urgent care. 

I was at one just yesterday, in fact.

FAR different from an emergency room.

We have two types of free standing care centers. My neighborhood message board just had a thread from people who mistook the two.

One type is a walk-in general purpose medical facility. I've used them for weekend sinus infections, strep, and the kids version weve even been for broken bones. The ones we use have X-ray facilities and ability to communicate with local hospital.

I haven't visited the other type, but they have emergency in their name. They also bill as if it's an emergency room at the hospital, no matter what the problem. Neighbors have find there for sinus issues and still had to pay for ER visit.

Our sports form for both club and school is rather lightweight. They ask a lot of heart and concussion related questions, but do not perform any tests.