Urgent Care vs. Retail Clinics
Many healthcare consumers are likely to confuse urgent care centers and retail clinics. This is because both facilities have similar types of services, branding, and business characteristics.
However, it is important to understand that retail clinics are not an ideal substitute for urgent care. Urgent care centers operate as their own location while retail clinics are hosted within a larger retail store like a Walmart.
Urgent care centers are equipped with resources and staff members that are able to provide comprehensive care. Conversely, retail clinics are limited in their ability to deliver many healthcare services commonly offered at urgent care.
The main differences between urgent care centers and retail clinics include:
Urgent Care:
- Staffed with board-certified physicians as well as nurse practitioners and other types of urgent care staff.
- Equipped with a variety of lab testing services to perform STD tests, blood work, and many other diagnostic medical tests.
- Able to treat several injuries including bone breaks, fractures, sprains, and other types of athletic injuries.
- Open at convenient hours including weekends via walk-in clinic.
Retail Clinics:
- Staffed with usually one nurse practitioner or a similar professional, usually not a doctor.
- Limited diagnostic tests.
- Limited preventive care exams and screenings.
- Open only during retail location hours.
Patients interested in our urgent care services should call Centennial Medical at 410-730-3399 or visit us in Columbia, MD.
