How Cape Regional Urgent Care Meets Emerging Patient Needs
The first urgent care walk-in clinics in the U.S. opened in the 1970s, largely to fill a gap in health care services between traditional doctor’s offices and emergency room treatment. For patients, the ability to see a doctor on short notice without an appointment was the primary benefit, along with considerably lower costs than those at an ER.
It’s worth noting that several similar trends took root during the ‘70s, all catering to increasingly busy American lifestyles. A few examples include:
- Increase in the number of banks and fast-food restaurants offering drive-through services
- Introduction of walk-in hair styling and nail salon services
- Retail stores providing Sunday shopping hours year-round
A half-century later, the availability of speedy and convenient services is largely taken for granted, and demand for such services has skyrocketed among millennials—defined as those born between 1981 and 1996—who currently make up the nation’s largest generation. Millennials have grown up with fast-paced technological changes, and they’re accustomed to immediate fulfillment of their consumer needs. How does this relate to health care? Many experts credit millennials seeking short wait times for walk-in medical services with driving a recent explosion in new urgent care clinics across the country.
Short Wait Times Are Only One Reason to Choose Cape Regional Urgent Care
At Cape Regional Urgent Care, we’re proud of the exceptionally short wait times our patients experience at all three of our walk-in urgent care clinics in Cape May County, New Jersey. This doesn’t happen by accident. Our urgent care centers are well staffed and fully equipped with advanced diagnostic tools such as digital X-ray and lab testing capabilities so that we can quickly identify and treat a wide variety of non-life-threatening illnesses and injuries. Plus, our urgent care services are available on weekends and during weekday evenings, when traditional doctor’s offices are closed. And we don’t require appointments.
However, we’re also aware of other 21st-century trends that shape millennial choices for health care. These include rising health care costs, changes in health insurance coverage, and the demand for transparency in health care pricing. Additionally, the COVID-19 pandemic spotlighted the need for health care delivery solutions that respond quickly to control the spread of highly contagious illnesses.
Cape Regional Urgent Care is proud to have been at the forefront of providing COVID-19 testing in the Cape May County region since the early days of the pandemic. We continue to offer several types of coronavirus testing that address the needs of our patients wishing to fulfill travel, school, or work requirements. Our rates are affordable and transparent, and we accept many health insurance plans, making our urgent care walk-in clinics a better alternative to the ER for patients who don’t need emergency medical treatment.
Get the Care You Need on Your Schedule
Another big shift in recent years is the trend toward a gig economy, which for many people translates into erratic job schedules that make it difficult to find time to seek medical services. Our weekend and extended hours help these patients get testing, checkups, and doctor consultations on a walk-in basis whenever it’s most convenient for them. We’re also able to provide convenient, efficient, and effective occupational health services, such as pre-employment testing and exams, that benefit local employers and their employees alike. And we offer flu shots and sports physicals, which means we can be a busy parent’s best friend when these services are needed on short notice.
If you’d like more information about the many non-life-threatening illnesses and injuries we treat and other walk-in services available at Cape Regional Urgent Care, contact us today. Or stop by the Cape Regional Urgent Care clinic that’s most convenient for you. We have walk-in locations in Cape May Court House, Marmora, and Wildwood.
