What do you think of when you think of “on-demand” healthcare services?

In the past, if you needed immediate health care, chances are your mind would quickly decide that the emergency room at your local hospital was the place to go. However, that perception is disappearing as fast as the healthcare industry is innovating. The rise of the urgent care center, a place where you can receive primary or basic emergency care without many of the downsides that come with a trip to the ER, is a very real phenomenon.

One trade study suggested that up to 84% of urgent care center patients can get in, get their treatment, and get out within an hour. If you’ve ever had to go to the ER, you probably know how much progress you typically make after having been there for an hour. The reduction in wait time is not only important in terms of making sure someone doesn’t have to wait a second longer than necessary to deal with a painful or potentially serious condition; it also is a more efficient way of approaching our healthcare system and our medical professionals’ resources.

Time efficiency isn’t the only reason urgent care centers such as Urgent 9 are becoming so popular. There is evidence to suggest that millennials are driving the increased interest in urgent care clinics, given that they allow for a much more flexible experience, can cost much less, and have innovative features such as Urgent 9’s telemedicine virtual visits.

Changes in a massive, critical field such as healthcare do not come quickly or lightly, so it will probably take some time for the general public at large to reach full awareness of the capabilities of a good urgent care center. However, for many savvy citizens who want to take their health outcomes into their own hands, urgent care centers like Urgent 9 are the best medicine.